


Old Town Road

by FlyRobinFly



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: ...for now, Attempt at Humor, Don't worry, Dude ranch, It's funny tho, It's funny though, Liam Dunbar & Theo Raeken Friendship, Multi, Pack Bonding, Pack Dynamics, Pack Family, Pack Feels, Post-Canon, Romantic Comedy, The pack goes to a dude ranch, The pack learns what it is to be family again, Theo gets hurt, Wolf Pack, and Liam almost drowns, because of Thiam, because they have some issues, even if Thiam is fake, think of it as a rom-com
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2020-01-23 04:24:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18542215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlyRobinFly/pseuds/FlyRobinFly
Summary: Scott just wants the pack to be like a family again so when an unlikely pair stir up some drama the first night on a Dude Ranch as a pack, Scott sees an opportunity that he can't miss as a pack leader. They were the perfect example of how a pack was supposed to be:giving chances that aren't deserved, loving even when the other person is a complete idiot, fighting in a way that is healthy... most of the time, and doing anything to protect the other person even from the dumbest of dangers.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I honestly don't think I've ever written a fake relationship fic so this is a first. Also, this is the first chapter story I've tried out in a while and so far it's kinda sticking. I really hope I manage to keep up with it and finish it soon. I've got chapter 2 ready to post in a day or two so hang in there.
> 
> My main purpose for this fic is to inspire you and hopefully make you laugh because I have some pretty crazy things instore for this fic.
> 
> Here goes nothing

“I thought you hated horses?”

Liam gritted his teeth, frowning at the large beast before him. “I do,” he told Theo. And it was the truth. Liam hated horses. He didn’t really have the best experience with one when he was a kid so… yeah. He held a grudge.

But the pack was spending a week on a dude ranch. Recently, there had been a lot of uneasiness in the pack, fights among each other. And Scott had been putting in an effort for the pack to get comfortable with each other again. They were so used to always having to fight that when things were ok and normal they had to turn against each other.

So Scott planned for a week at the dude ranch. That meant everyone was going. Even the people that hadn’t really been accepted by the pack or didn’t really want to be a part of it. That included Peter and Theo. Why Peter? Cause he was Malia’s dad. Why Theo? Cause he was actually considered pack in Scott’s mind, Liam’s too. Everyone else was still bitter about him not being dead.

Scott even asked Argent to tag along and be bunk mates with Peter. Cause everyone needed a bunkmate. Except for the girls. Lydia and Malia got the main bedroom all to themselves.

“You know,” Theo said, looking over at the rest of the pack, already leaving on their horses without them. “You don’t have to ride it. We can always… stay behind.”

Liam sighed. “No,” he said. “I need to get over it and just… ride.”

“Last time you rode a horse you were a hero,” Theo said before he climbed up on his horse. “Maybe this time will be the same-”

“Last time I had real motivation,” Liam argued.

“And this time, it’s for fun,” Theo retorted, leaning forward in the saddle. “... and so you can have a healthy bond with your pack.”

“I do have a healthy bond with my pack.”

“You haven’t spoken a word to Stiles since we’ve been here and you attacked Nolan… again,” Theo disagreed with his friend. “The rest of them, you only ever argue with about just about everything. You do not have a healthy bond with your pack. Take it from me, Liam. Being lonely sucks.”

Liam looked up at Theo and squinted. The sight of the chimera dressed like a cowboy on a horse was so unusual but oddly fitting and… attractive. “But you’re not alone anymore.”

“I know. This is the least alone I’ve ever been in my life,” Theo said, a content smile on his lips.

“I’m not alone,” Liam said. “I’ve got you. I have a healthy bond with you, don’t I? And you’re pack. At least, to me you are.”

Theo sighed, deciding not to give Liam the satisfaction of him validating his response. “Do I need to come down there and help you up?”

Liam wanted to scoff and be all prideful but… he looked at the horse. She was so huge and… freaky looking. He looked back up at Theo. “...yeah.”

Once they were finally on their way and catching up with the pack, Liam was telling Theo to shut up and stop laughing at him. “It’s not funny.”

“You know what, Liam? Maybe you just weren’t meant for riding horses,” Theo teased.

“I wasn’t,” Liam huffed.

“Maybe you were meant for riding cowboys instead.” The only one that laughed was Theo. Theo’s laughter was always a beautiful sound. It never really happened until he became friends with Liam. Sure, it usually just happened because he was teasing Liam but it was still beautiful.

About an hour later, Liam spoke up. “Are you sure we went the right way?”

“No.”

“What? But you said…”

“I was trying to keep you from freaking out, Liam. The horses don’t like it when you get angry,” Theo hissed.

“How do we get back?”

“I don’t know.”

“What?” Now Liam sounded pathetic.

“It’s ok. I’m sure the horses know exactly where we are and can lead us home,” Theo tried his best to assure him. But Liam was just so uptight about riding horses. He sighed. “You know what will make you feel better?”

“I don’t think I want to know,” Liam said, knowing full well that Theo was just going to tease him again.

Theo smirked at Liam while he started singing “I’m gonna take my horse to the old town road. I’m gonna ride till I can’t no more. I’m gonna take my horse to the old town road. I’m gonna-”

“I hate you so much.”

“Till I can’t know more.”

“Please stop.”

“I got the horses in the back. Horse tack is attached. Hat is matte black. Got the boots in black to match. Ride on a horse. Ha!” The horse Theo was on startled a bit at the sound like he wanted to run.

Liam stared at Theo in horror. Because… wow. He’d never seen such a thing come from Theo.

“You can whip your Porsche. I been in the valley. You ain’t been up off your porch, now.”

Ironically, it did distract Liam from the fact that he was on a horse.

“Can’t nobody tell me nothing.  
My life is a movie  
Bull ridin' and boobies  
Cowboy hat from Gucci  
Wrangler on my booty”

And that’s the part where Theo tipped his hat at Liam went silent. Like he hadn’t just laid down a few bars of an iconic meme song while riding a horse dressed like a cowboy. Theo looked at Liam and that’s all it took for Liam to start laughing. This week was going to be like walking into an alternate universe and Theo had just put the cherry on top.

It took them a lot longer to get back since they got lost… like a few hours. “They almost sent out a search party for you guys,” Stiles complained. “Where have you been?”

Liam got off his horse as soon as he could, handing it off to the first person available. “Theo got us lost.”

“Come one. It wasn’t that bad, little wolf,” Theo said following suit and tacking up his own horse. “I had fun.”

“When do we go home?” Liam asked looking at Scott, eyes pleading.

“We just got here… today.”

“Ugh!” Liam nearly howled. He turned around and stomped back towards the bunkhouse they were all staying in. Downstairs, the was a kitchen, a living room and the girls’ bedroom and bathroom. Upstairs were three bedrooms. Two rooms with two bunks, and a third room with one bunk bed, the room that Liam was sharing with Theo cause… everyone still hates Theo and no one wants to share a room with him.

When Theo came in, he found Liam laying on the bottom bunk covering his face with an arm. He sat down on the only chair in the room and folded his hands over his knees. “So what’s all the pouting really about?”

“I’m mad.”

“You’re always mad,” Theo pointed out.

“Mason’s not here.”

“You’re mad because your best friend stayed home so he could finish his exams?”

Liam sighed. “I don’t expect you to understand. You don’t know what it’s like having IED. It’s just the little things that aren’t supposed to make you upset that trigger you the worst.”

“Is there anything that helps?”

Liam laid in silence for about half a minute, trying to calm himself down. “An outlet.”

~~~

Theo punched Liam, sending him flying down to the ground with a thud. “Oof.”

“You feel better yet? I’m getting kinda hungry,” Theo said, reaching a hand out for Liam to take.

Liam took Theo’s hand and they both pulled on each other until Liam was on his feet. He let out a pant and nodded. “Yeah. That helped. I don’t feel like choking someone to death now.”

At the word choke, Theo lifted his hand up to his throat to feel it. Liam really must’ve been holding it in because Theo thought he was gonna pass out for a minute there. And now his neck was sore. And…

Oh, Liam. Don’t make that face. He looked so scared and guilty the poor guy. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“No,” Theo assured him. “But you were certainly cutting it close.” With his accelerated healing, there was already a bruise. “It left a mark.”

Liam nodded sheepishly, covered in dust and shame.

“Dust yourself off. Their gonna think we did it in the dirt,” Theo said, a hint of disgust in his voice. Between the tension that had been released from Liam and the handprints on Theo’s neck, people weren’t going to be thinking very nice things about them. And dinner started any minute.

~~~

Dinner was awkward. No one spoke. At least, at first. There was just the sound of dishes clanging and food being chewed, drinks being slurped.

Until Stiles had the guts to speak out about the elephant in the room.

“What happened to your neck, dude?”

Theo had just stuffed his mouth full of some mashed potatoes. Stiles couldn’t have waited two seconds?

“Isn’t it obvious?” Corey said, voice so monotone and bored that he sounded like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh… just at a much higher pitch. “I mean, first getting lost on the trail ride together.”

“Then disappearing for thirty minutes to ‘get some air’,” Lydia continued for him. “Corey is right. They totally did it.” Though her tone of voice held some of the playfulness that Corey’s lacked.

Two seconds, Stiles. Just two seconds and Theo could’ve kept this from happening.

“And that would explain why they had to share the one room with only two beds,” Stiles said, a smirk fixed on his lips now. “You know, I gotta give it to you guys. I didn’t see that coming.-”

“I don’t think I want to see that cumming,” Peter quipped under his breath making everyone groan in disgust.

“We’re eating!” Malia chastised him.

“Guys,” Scott warned, silencing all the groaning. “Theo and Liam haven’t even gotten to explain themselves.” And at the reminder that their alpha had so graciously given them, they looked at the two in question.

Theo scoffed. “No. No. I don’t need to explain myself to you guys. You just really like jumping to conclusions, don’t you?”

“So what if we had sex?” Liam blurted out, earning shocked looks from everyone. Except for Derek. He was sick of all this drama, only here to keep anyone from getting killed and for the food.

Alec, sick of hearing about all this dysfunction, cleared his throat. “What a nice evening it is tonight. I think I’m just gonna…” He stood up and grabbed his plate. “... eat outside. Anyone want to join me?”

“I do,” said Chris standing up, Peter quick to copy his actions. And then Derek and Nolan silently following them outside. The five of them wanted nothing to do with what was about to go down.

Stiles looked at Scott, furrowing his brows. “You aren’t seriously going to allow this-”

“Liam and Theo are perfectly capable of-”

“What are they capable of? Theo is a fucking psychopath. He tried to kill us all and Liam is hardly a step up?! He can’t control his anger half the time and you know it’s only a matter of time before he does something he regrets. You know what? On second thought,” Stiles said turning to face them from across the table. “You two are perfect for each other. Here’s to you guys-”

“Stiles, listen to yourself,” Lydia said trying to get him to calm down.

Stiles stood up and rose a glass. “To Liam and Theo!”

“Stiles,” Lydia shouted standing up and grabbing his face and forcing him to look her in the eyes. “Go outside.”

Theo knew Stiles hated him but he hadn’t expected a reaction like that. The worst part was he wasn’t even reacting to anything. Theo and Liam hadn’t confirmed or denied his assumption yet he was just so angry about it. Why did Stiles hate him so much? Whatever Lydia said to him had calmed him down enough so that he went outside for some air.

Lydia turned to the rest of them and nodded apologetically. “I’m gonna go talk to him.” Before she went out the door, she pulled a red and black flannel around her to keep her warm from the breeze, then the screen door slammed itself shut.

That left Liam and Theo with Scott, Malia, and Corey. Malia was there because her alpha was there and she was concerned. She had grown to be a good mate for him. Being with him had helped her mature into someone who could treat Theo was respect. But Corey, precious, innocent Corey, the last person on the planet that anyone would expect to hold a grudge, hated Theo with a burning passion. And because of how easily Liam had befriended the other chimera, Corey’s burning hatred often burnt Liam at times too. And Corey’s hatred was almost worse than Stiles. Stiles was very open about his hate. You always knew what he was thinking but Corey? Corey was a silent killer.

Scott cleared his throat. “Corey, would you excuse us?” Slowly but surely, Corey got up and left the room, going upstairs to get ready and claim his bunk for the night.

Then Scott looked at Malia expectantly. “I have to pee,” she said standing up and excusing herself. Because despite her maturing a lot, she was still Malia and didn’t do formalities.

Scott looked at Liam and Theo graciously. “So… is there anything you want to tell me?”

Theo was very tempted to just tell Scott the truth, so used to having to prove himself to the alpha but… he wondered if that was what Liam wanted. Maybe Liam wanted them to think they were… doing things but right when he looked at Liam, the beta was already doing what Theo would have. “Nothing happened.”

Theo looked back at Scott and nodded in agreement. “If your damn best friend would learn to shut up and listen then maybe he would’ve heard the truth: we fought.”

Scott looked at the fading hand prints on Theo’s neck and then looked at his beta worried. “Liam-”

“I let him do it,” Theo said calmly. “I could’ve stopped him but he needed to blow off some steam so I didn’t.”

Theo thought that was what Scott needed to hear, that they weren’t sleeping together. The truth. But Scott let out a disappointed hum and pursed his lips in thought, leaning his elbows on the table.

“What is it?” Liam asked, clearly still anxious about everything that had just happened. He’d probably been hurt by what Stiles had said about him. But he wasn’t wrong. That’s what hurt the most.

“It’s just… I think it would’ve worked,” Scott said, looking at the table thoughtfully.

Liam and Theo shared eye contact for a brief second before they leaned in a little closer to Scott hoping he’d elaborate. “Huh?” Liam said.

Scott pried his eyes away from the table and looked up at them. “Huh. Oh. Nothing. It’s just that I’ve been trying really hard to get things to work with the pack and nothing sticks…”

Theo raised an eyebrow and tucked his chin down a little. “You think that if the pack thought Liam and I were… together then maybe-”

“Maybe everyone would open their eyes and see what it is we’re missing as a pack,” Scott explained. “We’re great as a pack when we’re in a fight. We have faith in each other. We’re strong. But only because we have to be. But what about when things are quiet? That’s when we need to get to know each other and love each other. It’s not that I don’t want us to fight at all. Fighting is good but the pack will be so much stronger and unbreakable if we could just learn to love each other like a family even when it’s not the end of the world.”

Theo… understood that actually. That fighting was good for a relationship unless that’s all you did. But even in the fights, there had to be love. But there was something Theo didn’t understand: how he and Liam could be an example of that. “Right… but do you really think that Liam and I could pull that off while everyone is thinking that Liam has a serious kink about choking?”

“Who says I’m the one with the kink?”

“I think it only helps prove the point,” Scott said honestly.

Theo looked at Liam contemplatively. Did that mean that out of everyone in the pack, right now Liam and Theo were the only ones who could show them what love looked like? Theo wasn’t even sure if he could feel love. He knew absolutely nothing about love. But maybe this was his chance to find out. “I’m in.”

Scott furrowed his brows. “Oh. No. I didn’t ask you to-”

“Look, it’s either that or we can do nothing and the pack will always hate each other,” Theo pointed out.

Scott sighed a very long sigh, one that only an alpha could pull off. He was worried about his pack but also worried about doing the right thing. As well as a million other things. “Fine. But I’ll talk to them about it. You guys go get ready for bed.”

~~~

Meanwhile, Stiles was walking out in the dirt with Lydia. They hadn’t talked yet. Just walked. The sun had set a little while ago but you could still see a gradient in the sky above them. No clouds were there to prohibit them from seeing all those amazing stars in the sky. It was definitely a nice way to cool down.

“You kinda overreacted,” Lydia finally said.

“Yeah,” said Stiles. Then he sighed. “I guess I just find it hard to trust Theo.”

“Then why did you say those things about Liam?”

“Cause…” Stiles flapped a hand up spastically like he tended to do in conversation. “Liam’s not been himself lately and it kinda all started when he became friends with Theo.”

“Maybe being with Theo makes him feel more like himself,” Lydia offered. “You don’t know the whole story, Stiles. And I know you like to jump to conclusions about Theo especially since you were right the first time you did that.-”

“I’m always right-”

“I think you’re kinda right for the wrong reasons, Stiles,” Lydia cut him off. “I do think that Liam hasn’t been himself since he became friends with Theo but not because Theo has corrupted him. How would you feel if the person you loved wasn’t accepted by your family, huh? You probably wouldn’t be yourself anymore either.”

Lydia’s words stuck with Stiles when Scott called them into the living room. Everyone found their place ready to hear Scott’s speech of the day. He was going to clarify what happened that night and lay out some boundaries for them. They knew that going in.

“I know that some of you probably think this is insignificant,” Scott started off with. “But we can learn from what happened tonight. Now it’s true that Theo and Liam are seeing each other. I don’t know any details. I just know it’s serious and we have to respect that.”

He looked out at each of the pack members, even his step-dad and future father-in-law. Even little Alec who was completely innocent of any crime that night. Even Lydia who’d talked to Stiles and Malia who’d kindly left him to talk with the men in question. They were a pack, one.

“Theo is trying really hard to be someone that a pack, a family can love and accept and Liam has been the only person willing to give him a chance. There’s nothing wrong with their relationship. The only thing wrong is us. If we keep turning on each other like this, there won’t be a pack at all. So tomorrow morning when you wake up, we are a pack. We are a family.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Off to a great start!!!
> 
>  
> 
> .... or nah

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so this is where some funny stuff happens
> 
> just so you're prepared

When Liam came downstairs for breakfast, it was extremely awkward. Quiet. Too quiet. He hated it when the pack was quiet. So many things going unsaid.

Peter was a reading a magazine on the couch while he sipped coffee. Corey and Nolan were chatting quietly when Liam had entered but went silent once they made eye contact. Subtle, guys. Real subtle.

Chris and Derek were on the front porch conversing with a ranch hand about a gun they were all admiring. Alec was sitting next to Lydia while he munched away on some cereal. Stiles was on the other side of Lydia at the table, looking disinterested and extremely bored, tapping away on the mahogany like crazy.

Next to Stiles was Malia, glaring at him, probably for the annoying tapping. And next to her was Scott who greeted him with a smile. “Morning, Liam. How’d you sleep?”

Liam hummed and shrugged in response. “You?”

“Someone was snoring last night,” he said sending Alec a teasing look.

Alec looked up from his bowl of cereal, eyes wide. “No, I didn’t,” he claimed but Scott gave him a playful shove. “I didn’t.”

Liam smiled watching the two of them. There was a time when he and Scott were like that. But things changed. Liam grew up. Sometimes he missed those days though. “So what’s the plan for today?”

Scott looked at Lydia who was sitting at the dinner table sipping some coffee. “What is the plan?”

“Fishing,” Lydia said while Liam filled up a glass with some milk.

Scott smiled at his beta and repeated. “Looks liking we’re fishing today.”

“Cool,” Liam said before bringing the glass up to his lips just as Theo breezed down the stairs, fresh from the shower, and walked into the kitchen.

“Hey, Theo,” Scott said enthusiastically.

“Hi,” Theo said absentmindedly grabbing a handful of cereal from the box and then stuffing some in his mouth.

“We’re going fishing today.”

Theo finally looked at Scott, eyebrows raised. “Fishing for what?”

Scott furrowed his brows and looked at Lydia again. He was sure he knew the answer but better be safe. She deadpanned. “Fish.”

Theo looked at them blankly and blinked… like that was such a hard concept to understand. To him it kinda was. Fishing. Actual fishing. First horseback riding, now fishing. What the hell was this?

“You OK?” Scott asked, looking at him concerned.

“Yeah,” Theo said before walking past them into the kitchen.

Liam watched him exit and go around the wall to the kitchen but looked at Scott again. “Where are we fishing?”

Again… Scott looked at Lydia. “What am I? Your secretary?”

Scott’s shoulders slumped.

“Old Man’s Cove,” She said before he could apologize. “A few miles away. The Jeep will pick us up in half an-”

_Snap!_

“Fuck!”

_Slip!_

_Crash!_

_Thud!_

The noises came from the kitchen. And since everyone else was accounted for, the one responsible had to be Theo. Everyone looked at Liam in concern since he was the closest to the kitchen.

He set his drink on the table and took a few steps back to peek in the kitchen. “Theo, what happened?”

“Fucking mousetrap. Hurts like a bitch,” Theo hissed pulling the trap off and throwing it away from him. “Ah. Damn it.”

Liam looked at Scott in horror, face going pale. “Scott.”

Scott walked over to stand next to Liam. He saw Theo on the floor, blood dripping out of the back of his head. “Did you hit your head?”

Theo looked up at Scott, processing his question before lifting his hand up to feel the back of his head. His eyes went wide when he felt warm goo. Then he literally laughed which had Liam concerned. “Yeah.”

And that was the part where Lydia stood up to go help the poor concussed boy bleeding out on the kitchen floor. “Liam, talk to your boyfriend while Scott and I take care of him.”

Liam sighed, reminded that he was in fact supposed to pretend Theo was his boyfriend. Why the hell did Theo have to hit his head? He sat on the floor next to Theo. “How you feeling?”

“My toe hurts.”

“Your toe? What about your head?” Liam said, voice high with concern. And the blood. Liam couldn’t stand the blood.

“Do you want me to call an ambulance?” a voice said from the entrance of the kitchen. They all looked up and saw the ranch hand with a gun, the one Chris and Derek had been admiring, in his hand.

“Uh, no. That’s ok. Thank you,” Scott said.

“Are you sure?-”

“It looks much worse than it is,” Lydia assured him. “Heads bleed a lot so once we get all this cleaned up, he’ll be fine.”

The ranch hand didn’t look so sure. “He doesn’t handle blood well so this is probably overwhelming for him. Just give him some space,” Liam said, voice a little tense.

“No worries,” Chris said grabbing the ranch hand by the arm. “We’ll get out of your hair.”

Once Chris and the ranch hand were out the door, Scott put his hands on Theo’s shoulders. “OK. Theo, you need to focus. Can you heal-”

“He just hit his head and you’re asking him to focus?” Lydia snapped at the alpha.

Scott sighed. “Fine. I guess we’ll do it the hard way.”

“Wait. What?” Theo said just before Scott snapped his arm and put it into place. Just before he screamed out in pain, Liam covered his mouth and shushed him. As Theo felt excruciating pain, the wound on his head began to heal but now everything hurt. His head, his arm, his ass which he fell on, and his fucking toe. And his stomach. What was with that? Yeah. His stomach. He felt nauseous.

“How you doing, Theo?”

Dizzy. Cold. Pain. Everything around him was a blur in that moment.

“I feel sick.”

Had he really said those words? It felt like a dream. And then a pair of warm hands held his face and everything became better. It was like the pain was being drained from his body and it never felt so good. And then there was this angel… oh, that was Liam.

And in an instant, Theo was back to normal. Mostly. His head still felt funny since it was still healing and would be for a day or two but everything else was fine. “How about now?” Liam asked.

Theo let out a heavy sigh and nodded, not really feeling his best after that adventure. How embarrassing? He stepped on a mousetrap, slipped and hit his head while taking down some dirty dishes in the process. And the entire pack was there to see his miserable ass fail. And holy shit. That’s a lot of blood.

Theo gawked at the puddle of blood smeared on the floor. “Theo,” Scott said earning a tired look from the chimera. “Don’t worry about the blood. We’ll take care of it. You just get cleaned up-”

“No. It’s ok. I just took a shower. I don’t need to,” Theo said, clearly still feeling the effects of the concussion. He missed the fact that both him and his clothes were now covered in blood.

Scott sent Liam a look. “Come on, Theo,” Liam said pulling Theo up to his feet. “Let’s go get dressed-”

“I just said-”

“It’s OK. I need you to help me get dressed,” Liam said, urging him towards the stairs. Anything to get him upstairs.

Theo scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Of course, you do. You can’t do anything right. It’s about time you asked me to help you get dressed. You have the worst sense of fashion ever. I’m surprised Mason hasn’t told you…” Suddenly, Theo was chatty cathy with that concussion of his, ranting all the way up the stairs.

Scott looked at the blood on his hands and sighed. “Well, I guess this trip is off to a good start,” he said bending down to help Lydia clean it up. “Nothing like a severe head injury to spark some much-needed comradery in a pack.”

Lydia gave Scott a look. “Don’t you dare blame yourself for this one. Theo will be fine. He’s had worse.”

“Yeah. But I just wanted him to be around the pack and not get hurt for once.”

“It wasn’t the pack’s fault,” Lydia pointed out. “He stepped on the mousetrap. It was an accident.”

“I know…”

“Then don’t beat yourself up.”

“...I know.”

~~~

“So what are we doing today?”

All ten guests and Liam were scattered between the living room and the dining room, some of them talking, others just vegging. But when Theo asked the question from the bottom of the stairs, they all looked up.

“Fishing,” Scott replied, not going to point out the fact that Theo had already been told that just before he hit his head.

“Yeah,” Stiles said, a goofy smile on his face. “For fish,” he mocked.

Theo raised an eyebrow at him. “And what other kind of fishing would there be?” Theo asked literally not remembering any of this conversation earlier that morning. He was very confused when some of the pack started snickering, and then angry when Liam did too. He snapped his head to look at the beta wolf next to him.

Liam bit his lips and his shoulders tensed up. “Why don’t we get a move on?” Liam said hinting at the pack that, they were still good to go on fishing and that Theo’s incident that morning was no reason to stay behind.

“You sure?” Scott questioned Theo, looking at him concerned. Especially, since he appeared to not be remembering the conversation that morning.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“He does know he hit his head though, right?” Lydia asked Liam.

“I’m fine,” Theo assured her, putting a hand up in defense. “I may not be one hundred percent but I can handle fishing.”

~~~

When they had got there, Liam was very quick to get Theo onto a canoe with him and out onto the water. Theo was going to ask why he was so insistent but decided not to. He always did what Liam wanted.

Most of the time.

So the two of them ended up on the middle of the lake. By themselves. In a canoe. “We forgot the fishing poles, Liam,” Theo said once they were all the way out.

“Should’ve said something sooner,” Liam said, squinting off in the distance at the rest of the pack scattered on the shore and getting in kayaks.

Theo huffed. “Is this your effort to make us look like a couple? Cause you seemed kinda eager. I feel like you could’ve done better,” Theo criticized.

Liam hummed, still not looking at Theo. “Right.”

Theo may have hit his head pretty hard that morning but he knew there was something Liam wasn’t telling him. And there was no way Liam would just tell him so he had to figure out what it was. “Can I have the paddles?” Theo asked, holding a hand out.

Liam hesitated, debating whether or not he trusted Theo. But he gave them to him anyways. While Theo started paddling the canoe forward, he noticed Liam looking over the edge of the boat and into the water. The sun was shining through enough that you could see the fish.

Liam sighed heavily, wincing and making a look of disgust when he leaned back in the boat. “You OK?” Theo asked, his first suspicion that maybe Liam was getting sea sick… in a lake.

“I’m fine,” Liam said annoyed.

“You don’t get seasick, right?”

“No,” hissed Liam.

“Just checking,” Theo assured him, rolling his eyes at that attitude. He stopped paddling and looked at Liam observantly. What was this kid’s deal? “Are you mad at me?”

Liam finally looked at him. “No.” And he was being sincere.

Then what could it be? Theo lifted a paddle out of the water and Liam startled at the splash it made.

Fish. Of course, Liam was afraid of fish. That got Theo scheming.

~~~

Meanwhile, on the shore, Theo and Liam were being observed by some of the more mature pack members, the ones that could grow beards.

“I don’t see it,” Peter said standing next to Chris who was getting a line ready to cast.

Derek, who was on the other side of Peter a few feet away, already had a line out there and was sitting on a bucket. “I think in order to see it you’d have to know what love is so…”

Peter threw an empty pop can that he’d been holding at his nephew. He was about to chew him out but Chris began talking… about the original subject at hand. “I think you have to watch them for more than a few minutes to see it.”

Peter looked at Argent like he was a stalker and asked, “Have you watched them?”

“Peter,” Chris said taking a step back from him and repositioning his pole.

“Yes, Chris?”

“Shut up.”

Peter rolled his eyes and scoffed taking backwards steps to leave them alone. “Fine. I know when I’m not wanted.” With that, he was gone, wandering off into the bushes to go be the lone wolf he’d always been.

Chris cast the line into the water and took a seat on a bucket, much like Derek had done. He looked at the young wolf and asked, “Is your uncle always that annoying?”

“It’s either annoying or evil. Take it or leave it.”

~~~

Theo had been so grateful when Scott and Stiles coasted right by them on the boat similar to theirs. Scott and Liam ended up talking for a minute which allowed Theo to peek inside their boat where they had three little fish.

Theo shared a look with Stiles, glad Scott and Liam were currently looking at the shoreline, waving to the rest of the pack. “Give me one of your fish.”

“No,” Stiles said.

Theo sighed and rolled his eyes. Fucking Stiles. “I’m gonna use it to scare Liam,” he whispered.

Stiles looked at him with an exasperated expression, no different from when he’d turned down the man a few seconds before.

“Liam’s afraid of fish,” Theo explained urgently.

“I thought he was your boyfriend? Why would you do that-”

“Because it’s funny!” Theo whisper yelled. “No, give me the fucking fish!”

Stiles stared at him blankly for a moment. “It would be funny.”

“Yeah, it would.”

Stiles grabbed the fish and offered it to Theo but when the chimera went to grab it, he pulled it back. “Wait until I give you the signal. I’m going to put this on youtube.”

Theo forced a smile. “On your signal,” he promised anxiously.

Then Stiles stuck the small fish in his hands. When he shoved the fish into the pocket of his jacket, Stiles blurted out. “Ew. You’re disgusting, dude.” That got Liam’s attention. Liam turned around and sent Stiles the glare from hell. That got Stiles paddling him and Scott away.

Liam waited until they were a little further away but he had to ask. “What was that about?”

Theo shrugged. “I told him to suck my dick.”

Liam squirmed at the ‘d’ word. “Why?”

“Cause he’s a nasty little-”

“Hey, Theo!” Theo’s eyes followed the sound of Stiles voice. There he was holding up his phone and waving. “Say hi, you sicko!”

Theo almost rolled his eyes.

Stiles made kissy noises. “Come on. Why don’t you give your little boyfriend a kiss, huh?” Then he cackled.

“Stiles, be nice,” Theo heard Scott say quietly.

“Fuck off, Stiles!” Liam yelled at him.

“Liam,” Theo said, getting his attention and standing up in the boat. That appeared to make Liam nervous. “It’s OK. I’m not going to tip us.”

“What are you doing?”

“Exactly what Stiles wants,” Theo said bending down and bracing himself with his hands on either edge of the canoe. “I’m gonna kiss my boyfriend.”

“Nono-”

Theo pressed his lips to Liam’s, silencing the other boy before he blew their cover. Theo knew it was supposed to be a fake relationship but that was a real kiss. He almost felt bad for what was about to happen.

When he pulled back, he hesitated. The look in Liam’s eyes made him that that he might’ve felt the same way about the kiss. But’s Stiles mocking kissy sounds in the background reminded him that he’d had a plan. As he was leaned over, he reached up with one hand and pulled the fish out of his pocket. He gently set the fish in Liam’s lap, placing a quick peck on his lips again for good measure, then sat back in his spot.

Theo waited.

Liam could see it in Theo’s eyes that something-

”What the-!” Liam swiped at whatever was in his lap. Fish! It flapped around in the bottom of the boat and Liam jumped to his feet, letting out a girlish squeal.

~~~

Peter had found Alec wandering around in the bushes, feeling like a bit of an outcast too. He’d said that Corey and Nolan were gossiping about Theo and Liam and when he tried to stand up for what was right, Corey told him to go away.

Peter could feel for the kid.

“What’s it like to be a bad guy?” he asked as they came up to an opening in the bush that lead to another shore on the lake where they could see the rest of the pack and the two canoes on the water.

“It’s fun sometimes,” Peter said, looking out over the water and enjoying the view.

Then they heard a girl scream. “Aaaaaaaah!” Peter’s eyes landed on the source of the horrible sound, Liam. So… not a girl.

Splash!

He jumped in the water leaving his boyfriend alone in the boat, laughing more than he’d ever laughed before. Even Scott and Stiles were laughing in their canoe. Across the lake, Peter could see his daughter and the Martin girl laying on the dock, looking to see what the ruckus was and Chris and Derek smiling.

Liam came back up from the water and splashed Theo. “I hate you!”

Theo kept laughing and splashed Liam back. But when Liam grabbed the edge of the canoe he gasped. “Nonono. Don’t tip it. Don’t tip it. Stay back. Back. back. I have a fish in here,” Theo said threatening Liam and grabbing the fish waving it towards Liam.

“Ah! No. Get that away from me-Ah! A fish touched my foot. It touched my foot!”

“Liam, stop freaking out,” Scott told his beta. “It’s just a fish.”

“Nono. Keep freaking out,” Stiles said. “It means more views on YouTube.”

Liam swam up to the canoe again, spitting out some lake water and looking at Theo pleadingly. “Theo, I’m not a good swimmer,” he said in what he thought at the time was a quiet voice.

Theo squinted. “You don’t know how to swim?”

“I know how to swim,” Liam said defensively, struggling to stay above the water. “Just… not very well. Help me in the boat-”

“I can’t help you in the boat. It’ll tip over,” Theo said calmly.

Liam sputtered and splashed, head ducking under the water for a second which actually had Theo worried for a second. “Do something, asshole!”

“Okok,” Theo said standing up and pulling off his shirt. “Just calm down, Liam. I’ll come save you.” Theo actually felt bad when he saw Liam shivering a little. “Baby wolf, you need to calm down. Panicking is just making it worse.” He kicked off his shoes and took off his pants while he talked.

Liam splashed up at him. “You did this!”

“Yeah. You weren’t supposed to jump out of the boat!”

“What was supposed to-” Liam’s head went underwater again and he came back up coughing and sputtering. He spat out some water and a huge splash of water startled him but before he knew it, big, strong, warm arms were wrapped around him.

“Liam. Liam, stop kicking or else we’re both going to drown,” Theo said and that’s when Liam realized he really was panicking. “Liam,” Theo said again. “Just hold onto me.”

Liam gasped for air and nodded, wrapping his arms around Theo’s shoulders and even going as far as wrapping his legs around him like a little koala bear. “We’ll take the boat back,” Scott said. “You just get him to the shore.”

As Theo took him back, Liam shivered and shook in his arms. He was honestly more shocked than he was cold. The water wasn’t that cold and it was a pretty warm day.

So Liam was afraid of horses, fish, and the water. Is there anything he isn’t afraid of?

When they were in the middle of the lake, Theo asked, “Is this part of the boyfriend act or-” Liam shook his head. “You really can’t swim?”

“You could’ve drown me, Theo,” Liam said, still sensitive about what had just happened to him.

Theo scoffed. “You really think I would let that happen to you?”

Liam squeezed him and looked him in the eyes as he was literally pulling him to shore. He knew Theo would never let anything bad happen to him. But did he really have to do that after their first kiss? “No.”

“Good,” Theo said as he started to reach ground that he could touch. “Cause I would never let anything bad happen to you.”

The sound of footsteps caught their attention as they climbed up out of the water and onto the shore. Peter made his way out of the bushes with Alec close behind. “I can see it now.”


	3. Chapter 3

Stiles was running up onto the shore cackling, phone in hand while he Scott to pull in both boats on his own cause, wow, what an amazing friend Stiles is. “Nice scream, Liam. I guess it’s clear now who’s the man in the relationship.”

Liam furrowed his brows, still shivering from the water while he glared at Stiles.

“Actually, Stiles, we’re both the man in the relationship. That’s kinda what being gay is,” Theo said, surprising Liam. He’d honestly thought that Theo would’ve laughed with Stiles especially after what just happened. But he didn’t. He stood up to Stiles… he really shouldn’t be surprised. Theo wasn’t afraid of Stiles. Just annoyed by him.

Stiles expression turned a little sour at Theo’s response. He slipped his phone into his back pocket and walked away. Liam sighed, rolling his eyes. Of course, fucking Stiles can’t take anything seriously.

“What? You can’t take us seriously?” Theo challenged Stiles, who stopped in his tracks, not bothering to turn around quite yet. “You know what? I don’t expect you to understand. It’s not like you know what it’s like to love someone who isn’t perfect.”

Stiles’ face scrunched up and he spun around, taking brisk steps towards Theo, not stopping until he was face to face with him and they could feel each other’s anger and annoyance with each other. “At least, I know what real love is.”

And that crossed a line with Theo. It snapped a twig. It burst a water main. Whatever it’s called when Theo wolfs out and full on punches Stiles in the face. Because Stiles was right. At least he knew what love was! Theo? He wasn’t even sure if he was capable of love and he sure as hell knew he wasn’t worthy of it. So when Stiles said what he did, it hurt. And it hurt a hell of a lot more than that fucking mousetrap he stepped on that morning.

It almost hurt as bad as when his sister would rip out his heart while it was still beating. That’s why Theo couldn’t pull back. He couldn’t keep himself from punching Stiles in the nose and he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to stop himself from doing more damage.

“Oh. Yeah. I feel the love now,” Stiles mocked from his spot on the ground in the dirt. “Don’t you? Don’t you feel the love?!”

Liam let out a growl, stepping up in between Stiles and Theo but it wasn’t to keep Theo from hurting Stiles. It was so he could hurt him himself.

“Stiles!” Scott warned firmly as he stepped up to the three of them, flashing those bright red eyes of his as a warning. Stiles glared at Theo and Liam before pushing himself up to his feet and walking away.

Theo seemed to snap out of it once Liam and Scott got involved. He immediately regretted the way he’d reacted. Normally, Theo was so in control. He didn’t let things like that get to him but it hurt him so fucking bad that time and it felt better to lash out at Stiles than hide it. He promised himself he wasn’t going to make that mistake again.

“You two take one of the jeeps back to the house,” Scott said pulling a key out of his pocket and offering it to them. Theo went to grab it but Liam snatched it first. Probably better that way. You know, concussion and all. “You guys get cleaned up. Dry off and take a break from Stiles, ok?”

Theo and Liam nodded, about ready to grab their stuff and go but Scott pulled them closer to him after checking the vicinity for any eavesdroppers. “You guys doing alright?”

Theo and Liam looked at each other. Depends on Scott’s definition of alright.

“Cause it’s working. You’ve got everyone convinced,” Scott said making both of them look at him like he was… confused. He had to be wrong. Cause they hadn’t even tried yet. “But if at any time, you guys want to back out just do it.” Of course, Scott conscious was weighing in on him. He was always too good. Afraid of dirty work.

“We won’t back out until we’ve succeeded,” Theo said looking at Liam, raising his eyebrows. “Right?”

Liam sighed, still flabbergasted that the pack was already convinced they were, in fact, a couple even if Stiles didn’t think it was serious and that it wasn’t going to last. But Theo was right and Liam wanted the pack to be a family again and if there was a small chance that him and Theo pretending to be boyfriends could help the cause, he’d keep doing it.

But how were they already convinced? The only thing they’d really done that was different, besides going to a Dude Ranch with the pack, was not deny it when people said they were boyfriends. And Theo kissed Liam.

But he dropped a fish in his lap and ruined it!

“Right.”

~~~

Theo and Liam had the house all to themselves now. They were cleaned up and wearing dry clothes now, sitting on the couch in the living room. They hadn’t said a word on the way to the house or once they got in.

Both of them were thinking but not about the same thing.

Scott said they were convincing already even when neither of them had put in much effort. If it was really this easy… then maybe… no. No. They were friends. They couldn’t. Liam shouldn’t even entertain the idea.

Liam cleared his throat and shifted around on the couch getting comfortable. “So…” he said ignoring the awkward tension there was now. “...about what Stiles said-”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

And Theo didn’t want to talk about it. Because he’d been thinking about it ever since Stiles had said it. Stiles was so fucking right. And here he was faking a relationship with his only friend so that maybe he could get a glimpse of what real love was. But that was where his brain must’ve short curated because a fake relationship isn’t real love! He knew that! Come on, everyone knew that! It was right in front of his face.

And what made it worse was that he used fixing the pack as an excuse. Sure, he wanted the pack to ‘be a family again’ but to him it already was. Guess that just proves that he knows absolutely nothing about love and never will.

“He’s an asshole,” Liam offered, doubtfully since Theo seemed to be in one of those moods.

Theo sighed. “He’s right. I mean, how am I supposed to pretend we’re together if I don’t know anything about love?”

Liam’s shoulders slumped. Stiles words had really gotten to him. Liam wished the pack knew just how impressionable Theo was. It might explain why the Dread Doctors had been so successful with him.

“Scott said that we were convincing, Theo. And he saw something between us that resembled a kind of love that a pack should have,” Liam explained to him. “Maybe Stiles is right and you don’t know what love is but that doesn’t mean you don’t have it. It’s kinda like that scab on the back of your head: you forget it’s there unless it hurts.”

“That’s gross.”

“Love isn’t gross.”

“I was talking about the scab.”

“Oh… Yeah, it is.”

~~~

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Three shotgun shells fell into the dirt next to a pair of brown cowboy boots. “Now that's what I call a triple shoot.” Peter Hale was proud of his skills on the range with a shotgun. So far, he’d been the best.

Until Chris had to one-up him… or four up him. Chris threw seven pigeons in the air and shot all of them.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

“Show off,” Peter muttered.

Meanwhile, Stiles and Scott were helping Alec with his rifle. “Have you ever shot a gun before?” Scott asked.

“No,” Alec said. “I’m from the city.”

“It’s OK. We’ll walk you through it,” Scott assured his beta, crouching down so they were both on the ground. He got behind him and started explaining how the gun work and how he should aim. While Scott explained, Stiles just stood there squinting at the target in the distance. His face showed evidence of the beating Theo had given him the day before.

“Bet he’s wishing that target was one of our faces,” Theo quipped under his breath, standing back and watching with Liam.

“I hate guns,” Liam said, not even acknowledging Theo’s statement about their heads being targets.

“Wow. What a surprise? You’re afraid of something,” Theo said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“I didn’t say I was afraid…” Liam said, lacking any confidence whatsoever. And when Theo looked at him skeptically. He sighed. “Guns kill people!”

“No. People with guns kill people,” Theo argued.

BOOM!

“Whoa,” Scott said as he caught his beta in his arms. Alec had been thrown back by the power of the rifle, surprised by how strong of a force it had been. “You good?”

Everyone watched as Alec realized that the scope had gotten his eye on the kickback. He slapped a hand up to his right eye and groaned, “Aaaah. What the crap?”

“Oh. That’ll leave a mark,” Stiles said on the edge of laughter.

Scott chuckled, knowing full well his beta would be just fine. “You alright, buddy?”

“That hurt,” Alec said as Scott pulled the kid to his feet so he could walk it off.

Liam saw Theo watching the two of them in amusement, a small smile gracing his lips. It seemed like he too was on the edge of laughter. Liam elbowed him. “Why are you smiling?”

Theo gestured vaguely in Scott’s direction before a smirk played on his lips. “Sorry, it just reminds me of how Scott was with you when you were just a little beta.”

“Aw,” a voice cooed from behind them. “How cute? Gag me.” They turned just in time to see Malia as she nudged her way in between them walking right past them. How long had she been there?

Theo and Liam stood there watching as the rest of the pack continue shooting while Scott and Alec went for a walk and talked. Everyone but Corey and Lydia had come up to the shooting range. The other two weren’t very interested in another day outside so they decided to get massages together instead and just chill.

The only people for them to watch were the three bearded guys shooting at the discs Nolan was throwing for them, Malia who was shooting a handgun at a target and Stiles… who was slouching with his hands on his hips while he looked at everyone in mild disgust. Theo heard a little snarl from Malia as she reloaded her gun. And if he listened closer he could hear Nolan huffing in annoyance when Peter criticized the way he’d thrown the last disc. And then Chris and Derek looking at Peter in that same mildly disgusted way Stiles had been looking at them.

No wonder Scott brought them here. Everyone fucking hated each other.

“Now I see why Scott brought us up here,” Theo said shaking his head. Deep down he kicked himself for not seeing how broken the whole pack was. A pack wasn’t supposed to hate each other. That’s how they fall apart. And Theo had been so blinded by how well things were going with Liam that he didn’t even notice.

Liam looked at Theo squinting in the sunlight. “Hm?” When Theo looked at him, he wished he’d brought his cowboy hat to protect his eyes from the sun. Liam’s face was so bright.

“You don’t see it?” Theo asked Liam in disbelief.

“See what?”

Theo sighed. “Just look at them. Can’t you see that they’re disgusted with each other? They’re angry with each other…” Theo paused knowing he was wrong about something at least a little bit. He could feel that anger now. It wasn’t the anger you felt towards someone else. It was that anger that made you wish you were dead. “They’re angry at themselves.”

Theo knew that feeling. He knew it all too well. It was one of the most familiar feelings he’d ever felt. It was something he dealt with on a daily basis and it made him blind. He was just so blind, focused on himself, being mad at himself, that he didn’t think to stop and just look at the people around him. And now that he actually had to focus on them, in some quest he’d been on to find real love, what he’d seen was a broken pack that needed fixing.

Theo turned to Liam and grabbed him by the shoulders, looking him in the eyes. “Liam, I think what we really need to do is get everyone to see the value in themselves. I don’t think it’s about being an example at all.”

Liam bit his lip, glancing at the pack. Theo really seemed passionate about this. And, like usual, he seemed right too. But there was one problem. “How are we supposed to do that?”

“I… don’t know,” Theo said. He hesitated before saying the next part. He hated being vulnerable. It sucked. But the only person he’d ever been vulnerable with was Liam and Liam had never thrown it in his face. He had to say it. Just say it, Theo. “The only thing that ever got me to stop hating myself even just for a minute was you, Liam.”

“...me?”

A short nod and a relieved exhale are what Theo gave Liam.

“How?”

“I don’t know. Like just now I was so busy watching Scott and Alec, thinking about how you used to be with Scott. He acted like you were his son and it was… a happy memory,” because god forbid Theo ever call anything cute.

Liam crossed his arms, shoulders shrugging up a little as he allowed himself to get lost in that memory. He remembered being so flustered all the time. And Scott was always right there to tell him everything was going to be OK. Scott was always there until… until Theo was always there. Scott was still there in the background but Theo was there to protect him now. All the time. Literally all the time. He was with Theo more than he was with anyone even Mason.

And to think Liam was always hesitating to call Theo a friend even though he was closer than pack. Yet he didn’t have so many happy memories with Theo.

“I don’t think it’s about the memory, Theo,” he said. “It’s about the bond created from the memory. Take us for instance: remember that time we were at the zoo? Would you call that a happy memory?”

Theo opened his mouth. He was going to say no. But he remembered something he’d realized that day: he cared about Liam; Liam was interesting, fascinating. But the memory of all the punching and getting shot at wasn’t a fun one. “Not really.”

“But that day was important to our friendship,” Liam said. “We talk about it all the time.”

Theo nodded. Understanding now… sort of. Liam was saying that the day had been special to him even though it was kind of a horrible day anyways. Liam was saying that something happened between them that sparked a bond.

“Maybe instead of… being the example of a bond-”

“We need to create bonds, repair them,” Theo finished, a step ahead of Liam. It was definitely going to be harder than pretending to be boyfriends. That was for sure. But it seemed much more effective.

~~~

“OK. We have five days left before we go home.” Theo and Liam were in their tiny shared room, sitting on Liam’s bed, the bottom bunk, discussing their plan. “We should each pick a few pack members to bond with every day.”

Theo nodded in agreement with Liam who was strangely optimistic about this. “I feel like we don’t need to worry about Scott, Lydia, or Alec though.”

“And neither of us wants to talk to Stiles,” Liam said. “That leaves us with Corey, Nolan, Derek, Peter, Chris, and Malia.”

“I will talk to Peter, Chris, and Malia.”

Liam shook his head. “And leave me with both Nolan and Corey? Theo, you know you need to talk to Corey-”

“I’ll talk to Nolan,” Theo said abruptly, trying hard to avoid the anxiety that the idea of talking to Corey gives him.

Lucky for Theo, Liam knew him to well. He was left a little conflicted. On one hand, he wanted Theo to sort things out with Corey but he also felt really bad for how much Theo was actually scared of Corey. That’s right. The big bad chimera was afraid of innocent little Corey. It doesn’t make a lot of sense but there are some moments when it’s completely clear why.

“How about we focus on one person at a time,” Liam suggested, wanting to give Theo a little bit of time to consider the possibility of fixing things with Corey. “Talk to Peter first. I think since you two have a lot in common, it might be easier than you think.”

“A lot in common? Are you calling me annoying?”

“I’m saying you both did some pretty shitty things to the pack before and now you both really want to be a part of the pack but everyone hates you so you’re in a limbo state as far as your status in the pack goes,” Liam said. And then Liam remembered just how impressionable Theo could be, a lot more sensitive than he let others believe. “To me your pack, Theo. I’m just saying-”

“I know what you’re saying,” Theo said harshly.

“You’re more than pack,” Liam reiterated.

Silence.

Cause neither of them knew what that was supposed to mean. So they kinda just brushed it off. Theo nodded. “Great. So I’ll focus on Peter and Malia for now. I think I can manage that…” he said, masking the nervousness… quite poorly, honestly. He didn’t have a very good record with making friends, honest friends.

Liam smiled despite the fact that Theo was acting a little weird. This was a weird situation though so he shouldn’t be surprised if Theo wasn’t acting like himself. “OK. And I’ll try and figure something out with me and Nolan. Maybe I’ll start with Derek though. He seems harder to punch in the face.”

The remark made the tension drain from Theo like a balloon with a slow leak. He let out a chuckle and stood up, offering a hand to Liam. “I won’t let you hurt anyone, little wolf.” As Liam got up, he almost hit his head on the top bunk so Theo tugged him forward just missing it. “Including yourself. Watch where you’re going.”

Liam looked at Theo, not able to resist the way he was pulling him close. He knew it was because Theo was protecting him but that didn’t change how much it made him wish they weren’t pretending.

Liam always thought Theo was handsome. When he’d first met him, he thought he was a cute handsome but now Theo was so much more than cute. He had his cute moments for sure but most of the time he was just so rugged on the outside. He was like one of those hazelnut Ferrero Rocher chocolates: both ruggedly and boyishly handsome on the outside but on the inside under his crispy wafer shell, he was very gooey-er-cute and sweet. And then there was that solid heart center. He was solid enough to realize that the pack was, indeed, falling apart. Solid enough that he wanted to fix it no matter how big the job.

...solid enough to swim Liam to shore like it was nothing. So yeah. Liam went from daydreaming about Theo’s eyes to drooling over his muscles in about three seconds. And then he almost had a heart attack when Theo’s fingers laced with his own.

“Hold my hand,” Theo said, both of them looking down at their hands like they were UFOs. So Liam might not have been the only one daydreaming but at least Theo knew that it was all supposed to be fake. He could lie to himself though. He could let himself think it was real until it wasn’t. He needed it if he was going to get through this week. Theo smirked at Liam. “I think if we show up to dinner holding hands it will look good for our cover. Plus I know you’re scared of just about everything.”

Liam scoffed and rolled his eyes, just about ready to pry his hand from Theo’s and leave but Theo had a tight grip and was walking with him to the door.

“That’s why I took the top bunk. I know you’re afraid of heights.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy chapter 4!!!!

The dining hall was very nice. Some other groups were there enjoying dinner as well and they were actually much louder than the pack. Which was kinda sad. The pack used to be the loud group. Now they just sat at the table eating quietly. The only ones willing to keep up conversation were Scott and Lydia.

“Where are Theo and Liam?” Alec asked after taking a head count of everyone for Scott. And right on que, the door opened and in came the two of them holding hands.

The display of affection got some eye rolls, from Stiles and from all three Hale people(if we’re counting Malia as a Hale) because that’s what they do. But their arrival earned a happy greeting from Scott and his beta. “Hey, guys. We were just wondering where you were?”

“Sorry we’re late,” Theo said letting go of Liam’s hand and putting it on his shoulder. “Lost track of time.”

“No worries,” Alec said. “We just sat down. Although…” The beta looked around the table. “...there aren’t any spots left for you to sit together…”

“It’s fine,” Theo said, patting Liam’s shoulder and smiling at him. “We spent all afternoon together. We can eat dinner separately.”

Liam’s hand twitched at the cold air, missing the feel of Theo’s sweaty but warm hands. He looked at the table searching for one of the two spots available. One was in between Peter and Derek. He figured Theo should sit there since he was going to make it his goal to befriend Peter first.

So he went around the table to find the other seat and felt a little panicked when he saw it was one in between Malia and Nolan. Now, Malia, he could handle. She was basically Theo but… different. Nolan… he honestly couldn’t even tell you why hated Nolan. He just did and… he sat down realizing just how lousy that sounded.

He was no better than Stiles.

Nolan was afraid of him just like Theo was afraid of Corey. The only difference was that Corey had a legit reason to hate Theo. ...technically Liam could hate Nolan too but he didn’t hate Theo even after all the shit he pulled. He wasn’t being consistent.

Liam decided to start out by just being in Nolan’s presence for a while without sending threatening glares his way or just being a straight up asshole. Liam pulled the menu out and looked at it, barely reading something about some ‘crazy ass burger’ when he heard Malia next to him snicker. He put down his menu. “What?”

She looked at him from her menu. “What? Oh, nothing. I just misread something…” she snickered again before finally tilting her menu and pointing. “I could’ve sworn that said Dick Roast at first. But then I realized it said Duck. But then it said served with two sausage balls on the side and…” She couldn’t get through the rest of it without laughing too hard.

Liam looked at the same item on his own menu.

**_Duck Roast_ **

_Fresh duck prepared by some of our finest chefs. Served with two tender sausage balls and glazed in our homemade creamy white sauce.  
So good you’ll be quacking._

Liam sputtered. He didn’t find it quite as funny as Malia did but since it seemed to tickle her feathers, that’s what he ordered. “I’ll have the dick-I mean duck roast please. And can I substitute the sausage balls for veggies? I’m not really in the mood for balls right now.”

Liam felt a little more complete when he saw Malia cover her mouth to keep herself from laughing. The waitress didn’t seem to catch on with what was happening though. “Of course. Would you still like the creamy white sauce?”

“Yeah. Cream it up. I love to eat the cream,” Liam said shamelessly which only made it worse for Malia. When the waitress asked her what she wanted, she couldn’t stop laughing long enough to place her order. So Liam tried to help. “Do you to share a dick with me? I mean, duck?”

Malia shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes from the laughter because she’d never heard such a thing come from Liam and it was the last thing she’d been expecting. Liam couldn’t keep a straight face anymore either. He started laughing with her but he genuinely wanted to help her pick out what she wanted on the menu.

“How about I come back to you after everyone else?”

Malia nodded. That’s all she could do other than fan herself with her menu as she tried to calm down. She realized that the pack members next to them and across from them were looking at her with… those smiles that people do when they see someone laughing but don’t get the joke. She cleared her throat and took a big gulp of water before turning to Liam and hitting him on the arm. “Not funny.”

“Then why were you laughing so hard?” Liam asked.

Malia kept shaking her head, biting her lip, convinced she was done laughing for the week. “I wasn’t.”

Liam sighed and leaned back into his chair. “I don’t even know if I like duck.”

“You like Theo’s duck though,” Malia muttered, scouring her menu trying to find something quick. Liam rolled his eyes. He’d meant to say duck. Did he accidentally say the other word? Nonono. He said duck for sure. Duck. Duck. Duck. He was sure of it because he knew for a fact that he liked the other thing… not that he’d ever tried it.

~~~

The trails were nice in the northern California mountains. The next day, as the pack hiked up a mountain that was supposed to lead to a recreational campsite where they would stay the night, they passed multiple viewpoints. Almost every one of them they had to stop at so someone could get a picture.

The humans were having a hard time keeping up so they split into two groups: the slow group: Stiles, Lydia, Nolan, Chris, and Corey, and the fast group: Scott, Malia, Peter, Theo, Derek, Liam, and Alec.

And the fast group was actually really fast. The wolves were all excited to be out in nature and run freely.

“What’s the matter, Peter,” Scott teased his girlfriend’s father as he ran up the mountain backward. “You getting too old for this?”

“For your information,” Peter said. “I am pacing myself. And I am not growing weary in my old age.”

Scott laughed playfully. “Suuuuur-oof.”

“Oh no, Scott,” Liam said melodramatically as Theo circled around Scott. “I’m so sorry. Somehow my foot got in the way of yours. I don’t know how that-”

“Oh crap,” Theo said finishing his circle around Scott. “Is this mountain ash coming out of my hands? Op. Sorry, dude.”

“Hey,” Scott said looking at Theo and Liam hurt by the betrayal.

“Quick,” Theo said. “Now we all have a fair chance at winning.”

“Gogogo,” Liam said taking off in a sprint with the other pack members, leaving the alpha for the slow group to set free.

Speaking of the slow group, they were not having as much fun as the others. Stiles was panting and complaining the entire way.

“Oh my ankle.”

“It’s soooo hot.”

“My back hurts.”

“I have to pee.”

“I think I’m dying.”

Each time Stiles said something of the sort, everyone else groaned. “Ugh!”

Chris was actually a couple hundred yards in front of them. He thought they walked too slow so he told them to scream if they were attacked by anything. Nolan was trying to catch up with him because… Stiles.

Just…. Stiles.

Finally, Chris came upon Scott sitting in the dirt with his overnight pack, drinking a bottle of Gatorade. “Hey,” Scott said offering a friendly wave, so nonchalant.

Chris stopped in front of the mountain ash circle, a thoughtful look on his face. “Liam and Theo?”

“Theo and Liam.”

~~~

By the time Scott and Chris reached the campground, Liam, Peter and Alec were chasing around a bunch of… Theo, Malia, and Derek in their full shift wolf and/or coyote forms.

They were actually having run, something Scott hadn’t seen his pack do much of recently. It made his wolf purr in excitement. “Liam, whatcha got going on here?”

Liam spun around when he caught the frisbee. Theo tried to snatch it away from him with his teeth but Liam held it up high and laughed when Theo started jumping to try and get it. “We’re playing ultimate. You guys should join us.” Then Theo jumped on Liam, making an annoyed sound when they hit the ground. Before Theo could snatch the frisbee, Chris did and took three big steps before throwing it to Peter.

Theo huffed before he just laid there on top of Liam while Scott jumped in the game. “Oh. So you’re just going to lay there now?”

Theo stretched out his paws, scratching Liam’s chest a little bit and yawned exasperatedly to make his point since he couldn’t exactly just tell him.

Liam scratched Theo’s ear making the wolf’s eyes close in content. “Good call on frisbee. I think it’s gonna be a hit.” Theo huffed again before standing up, paws still on top of Liam, and leaning down to lick Liam all over his face. Liam cringed and shook his head. “Aaaw. Gross.”

When the other pack members arrived, they sat down to rest for a little while before joining a team. They played for about an hour before Stiles discovered the LaCrosse equipment and insisted they play a game for old times sake.

That was when Derek, Malia, and Theo took off running into the woods. The rest of them who weren’t LaCrosse players found a place to sit and watch.

Scott, Alec, and Corey vs Liam, Nolan, and Stiles.

So the teams weren’t really up to LaCrosse team standards but they got Chris and Peter to be the goalies. Being goalies shouldn’t be too hard for a couple of old guys who don’t know how to play LaCrosse.

Oof. That wasn’t a very good mix. Stiles hated Liam. Liam… used to hate Nolan. But Nolan probably still hated Liam… And then there was Corey who kinda… definitely hated Liam’s boyfri-Theo.

Stiles still sucked at LaCrosse.

But Liam and Nolan? It was like they never graduated high school. It was like they were still on the team. They were kicking the other team’s ass even without Stiles’ help.

Before they knew it, it was getting dark out and Lydia and ‘the old guys’ had lit a fire and got dinner started. So they made there way over to the firepit after putting away all the sports equipment they’d used that day ready to fill their bellies.

And this time at dinner, it wasn’t awkward silence. The pack was talking again. They were laughing and telling stories, talking about memories. Smiling.

When Derek, Malia, and Theo came back, they received a warm welcome and were asked how their run was. They talked about it for a while but there was only so much they could say. So much of what you experience in wolf form can’t be explained.

Liam was sitting next to Nolan while he picked at his hotdog. “Hey, today was fun.”

Nolan nodded, not giving away much other than that but a quiet unenthusiastic, “Yeah.”

“It kinda reminded me of when we were co-captains,” Liam said, offering him a smile as a peace offering.

“Why are you talking to me? We’re not friends.”

Liam felt his insides eat him up a little bit. Yeah. That hit a guilt string. “We could be… we should be. I-I think we were. Or almost were, right?”

Now that Nolan could agree with. “Yeah.”

“What happened?”

Nolan raised an eyebrow. “You don’t remember what made you hate me so much?”

“...no.”

Nolan shook his head and diverted his eyes to the campfire. “I didn’t realize you guys were… together.”

“Huh?”

“Back in high school. Theo and I started talking. We almost became friends,” he said. “And I swear… we were just friends. I don’t like guys. But I’m pretty sure you must’ve thought I did because as soon as you found out I was talking to him, you started getting… aggressive. Don’t you remember?”

Liam… did remember now. Kinda. “Uh… I guess I forgot but… I’m really sorry that I ever hated you. I don’t anymore just so you know. And I’m sorry I forgot why I started hating you in the first place. I guess I started feeling things for Theo a lot longer ago than I realized.”

“It’s OK I guess,” Nolan said. “Now that I know why you were so… possessive of him, your hatred of me is a little more acceptable. But… that doesn’t mean we’re friends.”

“... is it still on the table?” Liam asked hopefully.

Nolan looked at Liam thoughtfully, a hesitant smile gracing his lips. “Yeah.”

Liam smiled that cute little smile of his. “Great.” That was a lot easier than he thought.

“So how long have you guys been together anyways,” Nolan asked, voice not as quiet now that that was out of the way. “You said that you had feelings for Theo a lot longer again than you realized. When did you realize you liked him?”

Liam tensed up a little bit. This was going to be a story, huh? What better night than the one with a campfire, right? And since everyone else had shut up long enough to hear Nolan bring it up, he’d have an audience. He looked across the fire at Theo and bit his lip, a little nervous that maybe he was going to screw it up.

“Uh. Depends,” Liam said setting down his hotdog on the log next to him. He wasn’t going to finish it as long as he had to talk. “The time I realized I like him as a person or the time I realized he was hot? Or the time I realized…. Wow, I really like you-”

“Why not all of them?” Theo said leaning forward, sending Liam a challenging look.

“OK,” Liam said. “I’ll try and go in order. So… first time I saw Theo I was like ‘wow, this asshole is hot’. And then I hated him like the rest of us did cause…” Liam looked at Theo apologetically. He kinda hated admitting he hated Theo once upon a time.

Theo nodded. “If I were to meet myself from back then today, I would hate me too.”

“But after he came back from hell, he wasn’t the same person. He was so broken and all alone. I knew what that was like so I gave him a chance and he didn’t waste it. He proved he cared and I think that’s when I started to care too.” So far everything Liam had said was the truth.

Theo’s lips broke into a smile. “I think we went a long time before realizing how much we meant to each other.” Another truth.

“But what about the moment you realized you wanted to be in a relationship?” Alec asked. “And then decided to keep it a secret from everyone?”

Liam was not good at Lying. And Theo knew that so well so he decided to do the dirty work… like always. “You remember all those times Liam and I went on patrol in the preserve?”

“...yes,” Alec said, everyone’s eyes looking up at the chimera that was smirking across the fire at Liam, a sparkle in his eyes.

“One of the first nights we did that we were patrolling really late and we got in a fight,” Theo explained.

“Over you being friends with Nolan…” Liam supplied because now he could remember. It had been the night they almost kissed… which would explain why Liam erased it from his memory along with the reason why he hated Nolan.

“I realized he was jealous so I kissed him and told him there was nothing to be afraid of,” Theo continued, eyes still locked with Liam’s while he told the story of how he wishes he could’ve done things that night. “Cause Nolan was hooking up with the Janitor’s daughter.”

Stiles squawked and looked at Nolan. “You hooked up with Stacy?! How did you hook up with Stacy? Everyone wanted to hook up with Stacy.”

Nolan shrugged a sly grin on his lips. “Multiple times,” Nolan bragged. “She had a thing for quiet, sensitive guys.”

“Did you say quiet?” Derek asked and sent Stiles a mocking look only for Stiles to stick his tongue out at him in retaliation. “No wonder she hated Stiles.”

“Shshsh. Guys, we’re getting to the good part,” Lydia hissed at them before turning to Theo, eager to hear the rest of the story.

Theo looked down at the graham cracker he’d been fiddling with in his fingers before he continued sharing. “And uh… Well, I lost my virginity that night.”

That made the pack make noise. Laughter, cheering, whistling. “Nice, Liam,” Nolan said shoving Liam playfully and giving him a fist bump. The poor beta was blushing like crazy.

“Wait. Wait. Wait…” Stiles said, putting a stop to the chatter. “You mean to tell me that you were a virgin… until Liam?”

Theo sighed. If only they knew how tragic the truth was. Yeah. Still a virgin at twenty-four years old. “Yeah. Growing up the way I did I didn’t have a whole lot of opportunities to get laid. And then after that I… I didn’t have a lot of innocence left to hold on to so I… kinda avoided giving it up.” OK, Theo. You’re getting off track, letting them get to know you a bit too well. “...didn’t feel good enough. But Liam… he loves me even when I’m bad.”

Liam was smiling at Theo, watching him from across the fire when Theo looked up at him again. He was impressed with how vulnerable Theo let himself be in front of the pack. “You’re good enough for me,” Liam told Theo.

“And that’s why I’m not a virgin anymore,” Theo said raising his graham cracker since he didn’t have a beer. Also… lies.

“But why didn’t you tell anyone?” asked Nolan, curious about all the secrecy.

Liam shrugged. “We were scared I guess. At first, it was cause we were afraid that we weren’t going to work out but we were wrong.”

“We were afraid of how everyone would react,” Theo said. “And judging by the way you guys reacted when you found out, we were right to be afraid.”

“Which is not acceptable,” Scott said, eyeing everyone in the pack. “No one, none of us should have to feel like we need to hide something. We need to work on being more open, honest, and accepting with each other. Cause none of us are perfect. Half of the people here have fought on the other side of this pack before. And what matters is that you’re all here now and we’re family.”

“One more question,” Stiles said putting up a finger to silence Scott’s speech. “You guys have been patrolling for years,” Stiles said. “How long have you guys been-”

“Five years,” Theo blurted.

“How the hell did you keep a secret for five years?! Well, maybe you guys are the ones who started all this by keeping your secret and shutting everyone out.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Scott said, getting back on track. Stiles liked to play the blame game a little too much for his own good.

“Scott’s right,” Derek said in agreement. “Theo and Liam broke whatever was keeping us from each other when they came out. And if we start playing the blame game, it’s all going to be for nothing.”

“Exactly,” Scott said so grateful that at least Derek was on the same page as him now. “It’s time we all let go of the past and move on… as a pack.”

“As a family,” Liam reminded Scott. “A pack is a family.”

Scott looked at Liam, a bit bewildered for a moment, but then a flash of pride was seen in his eyes. He smiled at Liam. “As a family.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam is good at keeping the pack from sleeping but we'll pretend he does it on purpose since it... kinda helps them sort things out.

Theo and everyone else on the campground were nearly asleep when a loud shriek echoed.

_Aaaaaaaaaaah!_

At first, Theo thought it might be Lydia but it didn’t stop there.

“Aah! Theo!”

Theo started getting up out of his bed and people were turning on lights in the tent, already sitting up to see what the treat was.

“Theo!” Liam was flapping himself all over the place, trying to get out of his blankets and struggling really hard to do so in his panic.

“Liam, calm down. What’s the-”

“Aaaahaaaahaaaa. Eeeeewewew.” Liam’s hands and knees hit the cement floor with a smack and he scurried across the floor to grab Theo’s arm and pull him to his feet. “It was on my neck. On my neck!”

Theo grabbed the panicking Liam by his shoulders. “Liam,” he said looking into his eyes or at least trying to but Liam was so frantic he had to give it another try. “Liam. What is it?”

Liam shivered and slapped at his neck in paranoia and then he let out a pathetic whine and just pointed at his bed. Theo let out a heavy sigh and looked around at the rest of the pack who’d gathered in worry of Liam. Theo knew they would expect him to take care of whatever it was since his boyfriend that was freaking out.

So he walked over to Liam’s bed and looked, picking up the pillow and shifting the blankets when a huge spider scurried out and Liam screamed again making him jump. Theo glared at him.

“Oo. Kill it,” Lydia said grabbing the nearest shoe in the tent and tossing it to Theo without warning, whacking the sleep impaired chimera in the face.

Theo huffed and clenched his jaw, looking at Lydia. “Was that really necessary?”

“Sorry,” she said, trying to hide behind her boyfriend but Stiles appeared to be just as scared of it as her and was hiding behind Derek. But once Stiles grabbed Derek’s arm Derek just scoffed and rolled his eyes before he left the tent to return to his own with Chris and Peter following suit. They just wanted to go to sleep.

Theo sighed and picked up the shoe and held it up, ready to bring it down to kill the spider. It was really just a spider. Why was it so hard for the other’s to kill it? It’s not like he had a heart or anything.

If it was easy… then why couldn’t Theo do it? It was literally just a spider. But Theo used to be a spider.

...not literally! But he used to be that thing to the pack. Everyone wanted him to die but they didn’t kill so they just sent him to hell, which was arguably worse than dying but he got a second chance out of it so it really wasn’t that bad.

“Dude, just kill it!” Stiles shouted.

“I can’t!” Theo shouted back.

“Why not? It’s just a spider,” Scott said.

Theo let out a pained sigh. “...and I’m just a murderer,” he said. God damn, when did he turn into such a pansy? It was just a spider! Kill it! But what Theo had said, made no one present willing to kill the spider. They were all too good. And now they all looked at the spider and saw Theo.

“Oooooohhhh,” Alec said, scratching his chin and looking at Theo thoughtfully. “I get it. You’re the spider. Wow. That’s so… poetic.”

“Except now none of us can kill the spider,” Stiles said, giving Theo a mocking round of applause. “Thanks for that, Theo.”

Theo tried not to react. Maybe he should’ve just killed it. Gosh. Being vulnerable just hurt so damn bad. “Sorry-”

“Nono. Don’t apologize,” said Scott. “You did nothing wrong. We’ll just set the spider free.” Scott sent Theo a very comforting alpha look which totally threw Theo off because sometimes he forgot that Scott actually considered him pack unlike how he felt sometimes. Scott looked at the other’s expectantly. “Now… if only someone would be brave enough to-”

“Oh for christ’s sake,” Corey blurted out in a fit of anger. He snatched the shoe from Theo and shoved him aside and into Liam. “It’s just a spider. No one cares about a spider!”

Theo closed his eyes the minute Corey started yelling.

Smack!

Closing his eyes had been a mistake though because the sound of the shoe crunching the spider against the cement had his mind flashing back to when it happened. He could practically feel those cold hands pulling him under already so he grabbed Liam’s wrist and held on for dear life.

“There!” Corey said.

“Wohahow,” Stiles said making a face. “Aggressive.”

“If you didn’t just kill it, you’d regret it,” Corey hissed not even gesturing to the spider. He was full on gesturing to Theo who still felt like he was being pulled back into the ground. “You really want that thing creeping around while you’re asleep? Do you really trust it? Can you imagine if he hurt Liam?”

Theo knew Corey wasn’t talking about the spider. He never was. And that’s why Theo was afraid of Corey.

“It’s probably too late,” Corey said, looking at Theo. “He probably already infected him with his venom.”

“I don’t think spider venom can hurt a werewolf,” Alec said, completely oblivious to what was actually happening.

“Corey,” Scott warned.

“He’s already got Liam lying,” Corey said, taking a step towards the other chimera. “That’s where it all starts, huh? Pretty soon you’ll both be murderers.”

“We’re not talking about spiders anymore, are we?” Alec inquired to the pack.

“Don’t think we ever were,” Nolan informed him.

“Wait. Lying?” Stiles asked. “What do you mean ‘he’s got Liam lying’? About what?”

“About their relationship,” Corey hissed. “They’re not boyfriends. They never were.”

“Why would they lie about that?” Malia asked.

“I don’t know. Why don’t you ask Theo? He’s the one who’s behind it all,” Corey said, taking another step towards Theo. Theo who couldn’t even stand up for himself anymore because he just could never face up to Corey, not after what he did to him and his chimera pack.

“Theo isn’t behind anything,” Liam said, stepping in front of his boyfri-Theo. Stepping in front of Theo triggering a mass reaction out of everyone in the tent. And they were back to fighting. Arguing. But it was still better than the silence.

Meanwhile, in the other tent, Derek, Chris, and Peter still had to listen to everything go down.

Peter let out a long dramatic sigh. “Who needs TV when you can just go camping and listen to this?”

“Enough!” Scott said putting an end to the mass argument. “Theo isn’t behind anything. He would never do anything to hurt Liam.-”

“Corey just said that they were faki-” Stiles started.

“Because I asked them to.”

…

“What?” Stiles gaped.

“You asked them to do that?” Malia asked Scott. “Why?”

“Because of this!” Scott motioned to all of them, bickering and arguing just a few seconds earlier. “We’re not a pack. We haven’t been in a long time and…” Scott grunted before saying extra loudly. “Some of us won’t even stay for the fight anymore!”

From the other tent, Derek sighed and said, “Better get up.”

“So?” Stiles said. “That doesn’t explain why you asked Theo and Liam to pretend they fucked so we’d think-”

“We fought,” Liam said. “You were the one who just assumed tha-”

“Oh. So it’s my fault?!”

“Yeah, Stiles,” he said. “It kinda is!”

“Whaaat?!”

“You were the one who started placing blame like you always do,” Scott said as Chris, Peter, and Derek came back into the tent. “And then you couldn’t even be happy for Theo and Liam.”

“Who’s placing blame now?” Stiles muttered.

“Stiles,” Lydia said, hushing him up. “He’s right. We’re all blaming each other when we’re the problem.”

Scott sighed. “Thank you, Lydia,” he said turning away from Stiles so he could pay some attention to the rest of the pack. “The reason I asked Theo and Liam to just pretend they were a couple even though all of your accusations were wrong, was because they are pack when the rest of us aren’t! I hoped that you guys would see that better if you thought they were a couple.”

“Why would they agree to do that?” Malia asked, looking at Scott, not even at the people she was talking about.

Scott looked at her, knowing that she wanted what was best for the pack, knowing she wanted to understand. “Because they know how to be pack when everything is fine. They know how to be a family and have fun with each other.-”

“You know,” Liam said. “We’re really not as perfect as you chalk us up to be, Scott.”

“I didn’t say you were,” Scott said. “I said you were pack. Pack isn’t perfect. And starting now, we’re a pack. We don’t shift lame. We don’t accuse. We don’t threaten. We don’t leave.” Scott looked at Peter, Chris, and Derek a little annoyed. “No more leaving when things get uncomfortable, guys. I know family dinners can be awkward and a lot of drama happens at the table but part of being the pack is that you stay and listen unless otherwise told. Understood?”

It was a little weird that Scott was giving orders to all the older people in the pack but he was the alpha. Everyone was subject to the alpha; age was no exception.

“I understand that we have a lot of issues so I’m not going to say that we need to sort them out right away,” Scott said, looking between Corey and Theo, knowing that one was going to be a hard one to work through. “But you have to understand that in order to be a part of my pack, you will do it soon. We’re done being a joke, guys.”

Everyone was silent. Their eyes fixed on the floor. The air was crisp with guilt and an undertone of awe and respect. Everyone felt bad for letting things come to this but still there was that respect for their alpha.

“Get to bed,” Scott said, the final words spoken between everyone that night.

~~~

Everyone was asleep. Well, probably not after the night they’d had. But everyone was pretending to be asleep.

“Theo.”

Theo had heard Liam scurrying around all night, avoiding his bed.

“Theo, are you awake?” he whispered.

Theo rolled over in his bed and sighed. “Yeah.”

“...can I sleep in your bed?” The moonlight from outside was reflecting off of Liam’s skin, capturing all the shapes of the side of his face. His cheekbones were so strong, Theo must’ve thought.

“What’s wrong with your bed?” Theo asked.

“Well… there was a spider in it,” he whispered. When Theo just stared at him with a blank expression Liam sighed. “Please?”

“Fine,” Theo said, shifting over to the far side of the bed to make room for Liam. “I’m not sharing my pillow.”

“I don’t need a pillow,” Liam said, urgently climbing in the bed and unzipping Theo’s sleeping bag to lay on top of them. Theo was annoyed that Liam didn’t ask about that but he let him do it anyways. Sometimes Liam had no boundaries.

Once they were all settled on the twin mattress in the glamping tenting with four other pack members, the other six in the tent next to them, there was a brief silence before Liam rolled on his side and looked at Theo. His eyes were glossy and tired looking. Liam knew what Corey had said had really taken a toll on him. “Are you ok?”

Theo hesitated. No. He wasn’t. But it just felt so easy to fake it and smile. Say he was fine. But Liam would know. Liam knew he wasn’t OK.

“I thought you guys said you weren’t boyfriends,” Nolan’s tired voice spoke from the bed next to theirs.

“We’re not,” Theo said, grateful he didn’t have to answer Liam’s question yet.

A light turned on and Malia sat up. “Then why are you guys cuddling?”

“We’re not cuddling,” Liam said.

“It looks like you’re cuddling to me,” Alec said, looking across the room at them sharing a bed.

“Is that what’s going on?” Stiles asked from the other tent.

“Yeah,” Alec informed him only for Theo to throw his only pillow across the tent and hit the pup. Alec caught the pillow and pushed it away looking across the room at Theo and Liam. “You know, you guys really did make a great couple.”

“Shut up,” Theo growled in annoyance.

“I agree,” Lydia piped up. “You two should really think about dating.”

Theo rolled his eyes, not that Lydia would see since she was in the other tent with Stiles. “We’re not dating-”

“Wait!” Stiles said silencing everyone. “Theo, you said that you lost your virginity to Liam five years ago.”

Theo’s face paled. “...right.”

“But that was a lie.”

…

“Oh my god! Theo, is a twenty-four-year-old virgin!” Stiles started laughing really hard and a few other snickers were heard from the two tents. Alec and Nolan seemed to find that funny.

“You don’t know that,” Liam said, standing up to defend his boyfri-Theo. Not his boyfriend. Definitely not his boyfriend.

“Oh. And were you the one who had sex with him?” Nolan asked.

“Maybe,” Liam supplied.

“Oh really?” Malia got in on the interrogation. “And where did this happen?”

Liam panicked. He was so bad at lying. “In an elevator.”

That triggered a wave of reactions from the pack members that had been vocal since the scene started.

“You mean Theo screwed you in an elevator?” Stiles said, not minding Alec’s innocent ears.

“I didn’t say that,” Liam said.

“Stiles, Theo is a bottom. Pay attention, sweetheart,” Lydia told her boyfriend.

“I honestly don’t believe this,” Nolan said. “I’m pretty sure you would’ve been caught.”

“There’s no way,” Malia agreed.

“But that’s super sweet of you, Liam,” Lydia assured him. “I’m sure Theo appreciates you protecting him.”

“An elevator. Really?” Theo finally said. “You couldn’t have picked something more believable.”

“Then where did we have sex, Theo?” Liam asked as if it had actually happened.

“Everywhere,” Theo said, looking at Liam. His voice was soft and mellow dramatically innocent. “All the time. Like bunnies.”

“We all know that if Theo wanted to get laid, he would,” Peter spoke up. “Clearly, his virginity is something he holds dear to himself and doesn’t plan on giving it up anytime soon. Now that this insignificant information has been shared, can we please go back to sleep?”

…

The light turned out.

…

“Is that true, Theo?” Stiles asked, voice less obnoxious than before. “You want to stay a virgin?”

“...yeah.”

“I respect that, man.”

“...thanks, Stiles.” That actually meant a lot to Theo. Because what Peter had said was true. Theo had never really put it in so few words. The only person he’d ever felt that kind of intimacy with was lying right next to him and he couldn’t bear the thought of it ever being anyone else that he had to give himself too. But that wasn’t something he was going to explain to the pack. He’d rather them believe that sex just wasn’t really his thing. It wasn’t really. Sometimes he wondered if there was something wrong with him because of it but Stiles apparently respected his abstinence so it couldn’t be that bad.

“Goodnight,” Peter said firmly. Clearly, he liked his sleep. Or maybe the old man was just tired from that long hike.

Little did they know that their alpha was listening the entire time. And he was happy with them. Sure, there was teasing and arguments. But this time it was all in the name of love. They were on their way to being a pack again.

Plus, his other plan was finally in the works and apparently the rest of the pack was going to help him out with that without even knowing.

~~~

On the way back down the mountain and to the dude ranch, the pack stuck together. One big group. All together. Despite the huge falling out there was the night before followed by the alpha speech Scott gave, the pack wasn’t full of so much tension. That’s not to say it was tension free. But they were stretching out a bit and releasing some of that tension. And boy did it feel good.

They actually talked with each other like normal people.

Except Malia. She seemed a little out of it. “You ok?” Scott asked her, giving her a shoulder rub. The pack had woken up to the sound of her puking outside the tent. But when Scott and Lydia went outside to check on her, she just said she was fine and she didn’t know why she threw up. And now she was awfully quiet and seemed really tired.

“Yeah. I’m fine,” she said.

“It’s just… werewolves don’t throw up very often,” Scott said.

“It was probably all those marshmallows she ate last night,” Lydia piped up and butted in on their conversation. “Plus it’s… girl stuff.”

“Yeah,” Malia said. “Girl stuff.”

Scott squinted at her skeptically but he decided he should leave her be. It was girl stuff after all. Whatever that meant. He didn’t want to know. “Ok.”

On the way down, Peter was rather chatty. And instead of ignoring him or kicking him out of his little bubble, Chris humored him. Turns out they actually get along really well. Somehow they ended up deciding to ride motorcycles across the country together and no one bothered to point out that it was because they were having a midlife crisis.

Everyone else was walking behind Stiles who was walking backwards while he was lecturing them about something. It wasn’t one of those blame game she usually played. He just wouldn’t shut up and it was really annoying. And when out ‘of nowhere’ he tripped and fell on his ass before doing a backwards somersault, the pack laughed at him.

Corey had done it. He’d been invisible for about fifteen minutes and Stiles never noticed until he showed himself after tripping Stiles. No one helped Stiles up. “Assholes!”

“We love you, Stiles,” Scott shouted after passing him.

Stiles could’ve gotten up but he just laid there in the dirt and looked up at the sky. “You know, I actually kinda feel like taking a nap right here-” Stiles was yanked up to his feet by none other than… Liam. “...thanks, man.”

There was uncertainty in Stiles’ eyes. And Liam’s too. But Liam was done with that. They were pack. He smiled and pulled Stiles along the trail. “So, Scott. What’s on the itinerary for when we get back?”

“Well,” the alpha said. “When we get back, we’ll take showers and relax for a little bit before we go into town where we’ll have a few beers, get a little drunk and once that happens, things are bound to get a little exciting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you in chapter 6!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fun and Games with the pack!!! But also some more relationship stuff... and a flashback.

The levels of drunkenness among the pack varied by a lot. There was everything from Lydia and Malia who didn’t touch the alcohol and instead left the bar to go buy some ice cream and check out the shops around town. They took Alec with them since he was underage and no one bothered to consider that before planning on going to the bar.

Then there was Theo and Scott who drank enough to feel that relaxing buzz but didn’t plan on going beyond that. Across the bar, Chris and Peter were playing pool as they drank their favorite concoctions. Derek was nowhere to be found after hitting up some girl and leaving with her and Corey was outside the bar, sitting on the deck by the campfire on the phone, probably talking to Mason.

“Whoa!” Stiles shouted throwing a fist in the air after downing another shot of tequila. He was playing a drinking game against Nolan and Liam. There wasn’t much a rhyme or a reason to it. They were just trying to out drink each other.

“Stiles, you don’t stand a chance,” Liam boasted. “Not against a werewolf.” Nolan laughed with Stiles and made a howling sound that Stiles quickly joined in.

Theo and Scott were at the table with the three beyond hammered friends of theirs. They were just trying to keep an eye on them and make sure they didn’t get hurt. But if they passed out from being drunk, they’d get their punishment in the morning. “So how has your week been, Scott?” Theo asked, leaning an elbow on the table and looking at the alpha sitting next to him.

“You know, Theo,” he said, mimicking the chimera’s actions and leaning against the table. “It’s been a bit of a ride but so worth it.”

Theo hummed in agreement. “It has been a ride, huh?”

“Yep.”

Theo smiled and leaned back into his chair. He’d never been a part of a real pack, a real family. But… there was still one thing. He looked out the doors across the bar and onto the patio. There was Corey, sitting with his feet up by the fire and his arms tucked around his sides. He was by himself. Alone. No one deserves to be alone.

With a heavy sigh, Theo got up from the table and turned to Scott. “You think you can keep an eye on these guys on your own?”

The alpha looked up at him, eyes searching before he saw the lonely chimera on the back patio. He smiled and nodded. “I think I can handle them.”

Theo took a deep breath and looked out on the patio again. He started to feel a little of that anxiety again. He turned back to the table and snatched a shot glass out of Liam’s hand saying, “I need a little more alcohol to get me through this.”

Theo poured the substance down his throat which he realized might have been a mistake a second later when he sputtered a cough passed his lips. “You good?” Scott asked.

Theo cleared his throat and nodded, making a sour face. “It’s like drinking fire.”

_Thud!_

Nolan’s head his the table when he passed out and Stiles and Liam cheered in excitement giving each other high fives. Liam, the drunk bastard he is, missed Stiles’ hand and smacked him right on the forehead.

_Thud!_

And another one bites the dust. Poor Liam was so confused about it too. Theo kinda wanted to stay for him but Scott reminded him he had a mission. “I’ll take care of him, Theo.”

Right. Corey.

When Theo turned around, he’d never been so thankful for alcohol. It dampened his anxiety so fast. He just hoped that Corey wouldn’t think his attempt at fixing… whatever was wrong with them as insincere.

Theo pulled up a chair next to the fire, not too close to Corey but close enough that Corey couldn’t ignore him. He sucked in a deep breath before letting it out, thinking his efforts to keep calm were very subtle but apparently Corey knew what he was doing. “I don’t know why you’re so scared of me.”

Theo’s breath hitched. Guess the alcohol doesn’t help as much as he wished it would. He sat forward with his elbows on his knees and looked at Corey to the left of him. “I don’t know what you want from me,” he said.

Tequila made him an honest man.

Corey looked at him, eyes so full of hurt. “All I’ve ever wanted from you was an apology for what you did to me and the other chimeras. But it’s been over six years and you never even tried, Theo. You avoided me because you don’t want to say sorry to my face.”

Theo … hadn’t apologized to Corey’s face. It was true and it was entirely pathetic. But he couldn’t with the way Corey looked at him. “You always looked at me like I was some monster.”

Tequila stripped away his ability to fight back tears.

“I couldn’t face up to you,” Theo admitted, shaking his head while his eyes watched the flames of the fire dance with each other violently. “Not when being around you made me feel sick with anxiety because I knew, I always knew how much you hated me. I didn’t think saying sorry was ever going to be good enough.”

…

“Try it.”

Theo blinked away the tears. Corey wouldn’t buy it if he was crying. He knew he could fake tears. Tears would get him nowhere. He took in a steadying breath and pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed the tears into his skin. He was never drinking tequila again if it made him cry without even realizing it.

He looked at Corey, now sitting with his feet on the ground, looking at him expectantly.

And Theo already felt the pain of unforgiveness. He didn’t even need to say sorry to feel Corey rejecting his apology. And he’d already been so vulnerable this week. He wasn’t sure if he could take anymore of that vulnerability getting him hurt.

“Fine,” Corey said, standing up. “Guess you’re not really sorry.”

Before he could walk away, Theo jumped to his feet and called out. “Wait. Corey, I’m sorry.” Theo would never be able to forgive himself for not trying. Now Theo understood why people drank to get rid of their feelings; it helped you let it all out. And Theo couldn’t hold anything in anymore and he wasn’t even that wasted. “I’m sorry that I’m a monster. I’m sorry I’m a coward for never apologizing to your face. I’m sorry…”

At this point, Theo was willing to drop to his knees and beg for forgiveness. Anything it took. “Please…” Theo begged. “Don’t hate me anymore.” Theo didn’t see the flash of empathy in Corey’s eyes. He didn’t see the way Corey’s shoulders sagged in relief. Theo had closed his eyes, ready for whatever was going to hurt him this time.

But nothing hurt him.

He felt himself being tugged forward, tensing at first because he automatically assumed the worst. But when he felt a warm shoulder next to his face, things turned around. Corey was hugging him, not hurting him.

“That’s all I ever wanted from you,” Corey said and that was when Theo broke. He wrapped his arms around Corey, unable to contain the choked sobs coming from him. He shook, grasping at Corey in desperate uncertainty.

“I’m sorry.”

“Ok. There’s such a thing as overcompensating,” Corey said pulling away from him and then patting his shoulder.

Theo sniffed and nodded, trying to be cool but that tequila was really getting to him. And he only had one shot! Apparently, he was a lightweight. “Sorry,” Theo apologized. But then he realized he said ‘sorry’ again when Corey had just told him it was too much. “Sorry. Dang it-”

Corey put a hand over Theo’s lips and shushed him. “That’s enough.” Theo mumbled an apology through the cracks of Corey’s fingers. “No, seriously. Just stop.”

Theo nodded and pressed his lips together really tight to keep himself from saying it again. But all he wanted to do now was apologize. So he was so relieved when Corey smiled at him sympathetically. “I’m sorry too. Maybe I should’ve just… said something sooner instead of let the wounds fester. And I will admit that I… have been kinda cold hearted towards you-”

“And Liam,” Theo pointed out. “Which is not ok, by the way.”

“I know,” Corey said. “Mason was just talking to me about that. He pointed out that icing out Liam didn’t make me any less the monster than I had you made out to be. I didn’t want to believe him but… he took the time to point out a few things that made you and I the same.”

“Like what?” Theo was curious.

“Well, besides our run in with the dread doctors, we both have someone who loves us despite our imperfection. And despite me hating you and you being afraid of me, those two people were still able to not only love us but love each other…”

“Liam and Mason,” Theo said, a small smile creeping onto his lips.

Corey nodded and shifted, checking to see if any of the pack was nearby before he continued. “And you can’t deny that you and Liam don’t have a chemistry similar… to the one that Mason and I do.”

It was true. Theo couldn’t deny that. But he didn’t know what it meant or what he was supposed to do with that piece of information.

“Theo, you guys have been dancing around each other for years and neither of you have had the guts to make a move,” Corey said. “You’re waiting on each other. One of you needs to step up sooner or later if you ever want to be more than just fake boyfriends for a weekend.”

~~~

Theo was up all night long thinking about what Corey had told him. It was true. He and Liam had been… walking circles around each other almost defensively trying to avoid the truth. Theo was in love with Liam. So in love that Liam was the only person Theo wanted to give his heart to. He’d rather have to live his life disguised as Liam’s best friend than pretend to love someone else.

But Corey said that they were both just waiting on the other to make a move. Theo had always been waiting on Liam to make the move. And five years ago, he thought he had made his move, his final move.

**Five Years Ago:**

_“What’s your problem, huh? Why are you so pissed about me and Nolan hanging out?” Theo asked Liam as they walked through the preserve in the dark._

_“I’m not pissed about that!”_

_“Then why did you tell him to back off-”_

_“Did he tell you that?” Liam asked, stopping in his tracks to face Theo._

_“No,” Theo said. “I heard you. I was just around the corner.” It was true. Theo was rounding the corner of the building on his way to his truck when he heard Liam arguing with Nolan. He heard the whole thing._

_Liam was snarling at Nolan again which Theo thought those days were over. He was about to lunge around the corner to keep Liam from killing him but then he heard Liam tell Nolan to stay away from him._

_“Stay away from me? Liam, why would you tell him to do that?”_

_“You weren’t supposed to hear that,” Liam hissed, shoving at Theo._

_“Well, I did. And it sounds to me like you’re jealous,” Theo said grabbing Liam by his shirt. “But I don’t understand why because I-” Because I love you, Liam. It doesn’t matter who else there is. You’re the only one that I want and Nolan is just a friend. A straight friend, mind you, who is hooking up with the Janitor’s daughter. That’s what Theo was supposed to say. It’s what he was going to say before Liam interrupted him._

_“Jealous? You really think I’m jealous,” Liam asked rolling his eyes. “Theo, why would you think that?! I hate Nolan! That’s what this is about!”_

_“Maybe because you like me and you’re a possessive asshole,” Theo retorted, silencing the beta for a moment. Their faces were so close, they could kiss. And Theo waited for Liam to do it. He waited for Liam to make the move because Liam was the one who did those things. Liam was the one without boundaries, the one who insisted Theo sleep in his bed when he has nightmares, who always barged in the bathroom while Theo was showering. Liam was supposed to make things weird by kissing him but what he did hurt so much worse._

_“I don’t like you,” he said, coldly. And he wasn’t even lying. But that’s not even what hurt the most. What hurt the most was that Liam pretended it never happened. He pretended that they never almost kissed. He pretended he never told Theo he didn’t like him. He pretended he wasn't jealous._

And here they had spent a few days pretending that they did like each other. Only Theo hadn’t been pretending. He never pretended with Liam. He always loved him. He couldn’t bear the thought of Liam telling him to his face that he didn’t like him again, that he didn’t love him.

But Corey was still right. Someone had to make a move sooner or later and if Liam wasn’t going to then Theo had to. So the next morning when Liam woke up with a killer hangover, Theo was there for him waiting for the right moment to come along when he’d make some kind of a move.

~~~

The pack was busy pinning balloon strings to their clothes while they waited for the girls to show up. Each other them had three balloons and everyone’s was the same color. The objective of the game was to go out, find airsoft guns with ammo, and then pop other people’s balloons. The last person with one or more balloons wins!

“So how’s the hangover treating you, Nolan?” Theo asked the guy. He was wearing sunglasses and looked absolutely miserable in the daylight.

“I think it’s safe to say that I’m going to be the first one to die,” he said.

Theo chuckled and slapped him on the back. “Don’t be like that. It’s just a game. Have fun.”

“I don’t want to have fun. I want to lay down.”

“Alright! We’re here!” Lydia announced as her and Malia walked into the arena. “Sorry we’re late but beauty takes time.”

Everyone looked to the game coordinator for further instructions but he was in the middle of a conversation with Liam when he realized they were waiting on him. “Oh. Sorry,” he apologized and turned to Liam to wrap it up. “Over the ridge, quarter mile on the small trail. Easy to miss.” Then he looked out to everyone and gave them the rest of the instructions, sending everyone off in different directions to go find their weapons once the girls had their balloons.

As expected, Nolan was the first to die. He found a nice spot to lay down for a while then. When Derek passed him, he showed a bit of concern. “You ok?”

“Watch out.”

_Pop._

“Damn it,” Derek cursed and sprung over to a place to protect the rest of his balloons. He looked up to see who had done it. “Lydia, you’re going to regret that.”

She giggled and ran.

_Pop! Pop!_

She squealed. “Not fair!”

_Pop!_

Derek spun around and saw Peter aiming a gun at his balloons. “Not how you treat a lady, Derek.”

_Pop! Pop!_

Now they each only had one left. They stood their pointing their guns at each other. “Team up and go find Chris?”

“Sure,” Peter said offering a hand to Derek. But right as he pulled him to his feet, another one of Derek’s balloons popped. “Hey!” Peter said defensively, searching around for the culprit. He found Chris and his golden balloons running off. “You don’t kill my nephew and get away with it!”

When Peter ran off to get revenge on Chris, Derek got up and went over to make sure Nolan was actually OK.

Meanwhile, Malia was hiding out in one of the old buildings when she heard a sound. “Who’s there?”

“Malia, it’s me, Scott. I don’t want to shoot you,” he said, even going as far as scooting his gun across the ground. “I just want to talk.”

Malia lowered her gun confused. “What? Now? Can it wait?”

“I mean, technically it can but…” Scott sighed and walked forward towards her. “I’m worried about you. You’ve been kinda secretive lately and it’s freaking me out.”

Malia sighed. She was about to say something when one of Scott’s red balloons popped. “Argent!” she shouted and they both ran out the other entrance of the outbuilding. She somehow managed to pop the last of Chris’s balloons while announcing to Scott. “I’m pregnant.”

“What?!” Scott said.

_Pop. Pop. Pop!_ Went the rest of their balloons.

Scott turned around. “Stiles, we had a truce!”

“Well, that was before I only had one orange balloon left since my wing man left me hangin’!”

_Pop!_

“Hey!” Stiles complained, spotting Theo across the opening. He had all three of his big breen balloons floating above his head that clever bastard.

“Couldn’t you see they were having a moment?” Theo asked, gesturing to the couple.

Scott was looking at Malia with those… huge puppy dog eyes full of hope. “I’m gonna be a dad?!” Malia smiled really big and nodded. Scott grabbed Malia and gave her the biggest, warmest hug ever. “I’m so happy!”

“I’m gonna be an uncle?!” Stiles said before running over and bombarding the couple with a hug. All of the eliminated members of the pack started to make their way over to the scene after hearing the commotion and the exciting news. The pack didn’t seem to notice the two missing pack members before they started to celebrate.

Once Malia was set free from the hug, she found herself spotting Peter a few yards away, staring at them with the most compassion she’d ever seen in his eyes. “Is it true?” he asked her. Everyone knew that Peter and Malia didn’t exactly have the best father/daughter relationship but that didn’t mean they didn’t care about each other now. Peter actually really cared about Malia. He felt bad for not being a good father for her and now there was hope in his eyes that maybe he could as least be a good grandfather.

She smiled as she closed the distance between them with a hug. “You’re gonna be a grandpa.”

“Well, now I just feel old,” he quipped pulling his daughter tight in his arms and laughed with joy. Now that was something new. Genuine joy coming from a Hale? What a sight!

“I wouldn’t celebrate just yet.”

_Pop. Pop. Pop_ went Theo’s balloons.

Theo turned around and saw Liam… two blue balloons floating above his head. “Hiding it out always wins you the game,” Liam said and waved. “OK. I win. Now we can celebrate”

_Pop. Pop._

Silence. The pack looked all around them trying to find the culprit of the final two pops. Then it hit them all at once.

Corey.

“Hey, that’s not fair!” Stiles said when Corey made himself visible again. He still had two of his pink balloons. “You totally popped one of my balloons!”

Corey chuckled. “Uh. No. I was going to shoot at you but then the tree branch got your balloon first and I would’ve felt bad for not giving you a chance to play.”

“Did you hear the news?” Scott asked the chimera.

“I did. Congratulations, guys,” Corey said. “Guess you guys are the real winners today.”

Scott shook his head, still unable to stop smiling. “We’re all the winners today. You know why?” Scott put an arm around Stiles' shoulder and ruffled Alec’s hair. “Because the new member of our pack gets to be welcomed into the world by such a wonderful, loving, and maybe a little bit crazy family. I don’t think we could ask for anything better.”

Despite the exciting news, the pack continued to have fun with fake guns until lunch. Then they played mini golf until dinner. That day was all fun and games. Everything seemed to be right with the pack. Everyone was getting along. All bickering was in the name of love. But there was still something that wasn’t right.

~~~

Theo stood in the bathroom looking at himself in the mirror. God, he was so nervous. He was about to go downstairs in the living room where everyone was playing board games and ask Liam to go for a walk with him so they could talk, so he could tell him what he’d needed to tell him for years.

“You can do this, Theo,” he told himself. “It’s Liam. He’s worth it.” He took a deep breath and stared at himself. “...you’re worth it.”

Theo needed to do this for himself. He deserved this. They both deserved to have it out in the open. But what was he even supposed to tell him? “Liam… I’ve always loved-no.” That wouldn’t work. He didn’t always love him. “I’ve felt this way about you since…”

Theo didn’t even know since when…

But since when did he talk to himself in the mirror! That was something high school girls did! “What am I-”

The door opened and Theo startled. “Oh. Sorry, Theo. I didn’t know-” Liam sputtered out an apology.

“It’s OK,” Theo rushed out of his mouth. Now was his chance. He had to ask.

“Are you talking to someone in here?” Liam asked.

“Uh. No,” Theo said trying not to look as embarrassed as he felt.

“I heard you talking. Is someone in the show-” Liam threw open the shower curtain and saw Nolan sitting in the bathtub hugging the bathroom trash can. “Nolan?”

“Mmm.”

Theo’s eyes widened in horror. “How long have you been in here?”

“Since dinner,” he moaned.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Theo asked.

“Dude, you look horrible,” Liam told him which only made Nolan feel worse. “I mean… are you ok?”

“I’m never drinking again,” Nolan moaned.

Theo and Liam looked at each other with sympathetic grimaces. They ended up taking Nolan downstairs so that they could get him some help. “It sounds like he’s dehydrated,” Scott said. “I’ll make sure he gets some water. You guys should join in on a game.”

“Actually,” Liam said. “You can start without us. Theo and I are gonna go for a walk.”

Scott looked outside. It was already dark but he decided not to mention that. They were used to walking together in the dark after all those nights doing patrols together. “Alright. Enjoy your walk.”

Liam started pulling Theo out the door as he told his alpha, “Don’t wait up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! See in chapter 7!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...that chapter we've all been waiting for.

Liam lead Theo around the back of the house and towards the treeline. The sun had just set and the stars were starting to sparkle above the mountain range. The gradient of the sky was just so perfect and contrasted starkly with the darkness of the mountain they were approaching. It was so beautiful at night.

Theo wondered where Liam was taking them. He wondered how Liam could’ve possibly known he’d wanted to go for a walk. He wondered why. Maybe this was his chance. “You know. I’m actually glad we’re doing this. I was going to ask if we could talk toni-”

“Shshsh,” Liam said pulling him off of the only path that was visible and down a narrow one that he didn’t notice was there. “Can you hear that?”

Theo shut his mouth. Maybe he wouldn’t get a chance to tell Liam since he was so good at interrupting. But he listened. Theo was good at listening. And he heard it in the distance. “Coyotes.”

Liam smiled. Theo could tell because the moonlight was so bright that night and that was one of his favorite things about those evening patrols: looking at Liam’s skin reflecting the moonlight. As a chimera, Theo didn’t feel the pull of the moon but he could feel Liam. Liam was his connection to the moon. He could feel all the energy Liam got from it, the way it excited him, the way it amplified his senses.

Liam was his moon.

“Have you ever thought about how being part coyote affects your behavior?” Liam asked him as they kept up their trek in the woods. Liam always did like deep conversations better than small talk.

“Maybe,” Theo said. “Clearly, you have been though.”

Liam shrugged and smiled back at the chimera as he kept leading them down the path. Their eyes were now adjusting to the darkness. “I think it affects you a lot more than you might notice.”

Theo felt something inside of him relax, reminding him that he’d been nervous in the first place. But it was what happened when Liam started telling him things like that. “How so?”

“Well, I watched a documentary on coyotes last week and…”

Theo loved every word Liam said. It was like music to his ears as Liam explained all the ways Theo’s life was impacted by his status as a coyote-wolf-human hybrid, anything from just the way it affected his eye color to how it affected his standing in the pack.

And then Liam started comparing Theo’s wolf to his coyote, saying that it made him almost bipolar sometimes which made him laugh. “No seriously,” Liam said. “Sometimes I don’t know how you’re going to react.”

Theo sighed and raised an eyebrow at Liam. “You don’t know how I’m going to react? Liam, you’re pretty unpredictable too, you know?”

“But I’m not bipolar,” Liam argued.

“I’m sure if we took you to a specialist, they’d find something wrong with you,” Theo poked fun at his friend. “Besides, you’re temper.”

“Dude, I have seen so many specialists in my life. I’m pretty sure they would have caught something if it were an issue,” Liam retorted.

Theo sighed. Since Liam was done with that beautiful ranting he did and now they were bickering, he needed to actually talk to Liam. He grabbed his elbow and pulled him to a stop. “Liam, I need to talk to you about something.”

“Shshsh.”

Not this again.

“Do you hear that?”

“Liam, I’m serious-”

“We’re almost there,” Liam said ripping himself from Theo and running off towards the faint white noise in the distance.

Theo watched him run. He couldn’t stand the idea of that being how Liam reacted to what he had to tell him: ripping himself out of Theo’s arms and leaving him behind while he went and chased something else.

“Theo, you gotta come see this!”

~~~

Theo broke through the foliage and into an opening. He was met with crisp, damp air and the smell of fresh water. The sight was absolutely stunning. A piercing blue that cascaded down curves and edges, glowing in the moonlight. And that was just Liam. The waterfall behind him made it that much more amazing.

Liam had taken him to a little cove in the woods. Liam was standing at the shore of the small bed of water, kicking off his shoes. There was a small waterfall, crashing into the surface beneath it, creating a mist around the bottom of it. The moon reflected off the surface of the water making the entire cover glow in this beautiful royal blue color.

As crazy amazing as the waterfall was, Theo’s eyes were drawn back to Liam. The werewolf was peeling off his shirt and dropping it by the edge of the water. Theo’s eyes memorized every detail of Liam’s body, all the curves and ripples in his arms and chest. It made his heart race.

Liam turned around with an expectant smile. “Let’s go for a swim.”

Theo let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “I thought you didn’t swim well,” Theo said as he started towards the edge of the water, almost stopping when Liam undid his pants and let them fall to the ground.

Liam faced Theo while he kicked his pants off of his feet and grinned. “That’s why I brought you with me. Now come on,” Liam said, slipping his thumbs in the waistband of his underwear and slipping them down his body. “Get naked.”

Theo almost died right there. Was he in heaven? Did he hit his head harder than he thought? … was he dead? The sound of water swishing made Theo jump out of his surprise. He kicked his shoes off, leaving the rest of his clothes with Liam’s on the shore.

And then he jumped in, soaking Liam with the splash. “Hey!” Liam lunged at him. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the way their bare skin felt touching each other while they wrestled in the water. What Theo needed to talk about was still on his mind… but it could wait. With Liam so close and so naked, he wouldn’t be able to say anything.

But then Liam’s touch was gone for a second. Theo was being pulled deeper into the pool of water, close to the waterfall. “Come on, let’s see what it’s like underneath the water.”

Theo just let Liam take him. No argument. He’d do anything Liam asked. Anything. Even endure the feeling of gallons of water pouring down on his head and shoulders as Liam’s hand tightened around his and pulled him through the water to the other side of the waterfall. There he was met face to face with Liam, their bodies pressed together from the force of Liam’s tug.

They could kiss. Their lips were so close already. Other parts of them were touching already. It shouldn’t matter if they kissed now. But Theo found he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t make the move.

He felt Liam’s hand leave his. He was already fearful of the rejection. This time it would hurt too much. His heart couldn’t survive this. And just as Theo started to feel the panic, Liam’s touch saved him. The man’s fingers combing through his hair, his palm catching his jaw… a thumb on his cheek. It made Theo swoon, leaning into Liam, holding onto him for dear life.

He had to tell him.

“Liam-”

“I know, Theo,” he said, breath ghosting against his lips. “I know. And I’m so sorry I hurt you.” Liam’s other hand held him close, keeping them both steady. “And if I could do it over again, I would make sure things happened how you said the other night. I would kiss you and tell you how much I love you… and how stupidly jealous I was over nothing. And who knows where we would be today, Theo-”

Theo shook his head. “It’s not your fault-”

“It is,” Liam said. “I almost let you get away-”

“No,” Theo said desperately. “Liam, it’s always been you. It’s only ever been you. I could never leave you. I love you differently than I’ve ever loved someone and I don’t think I ever can love someone the way I love you. I want you to have everything, Liam. Everything you want and need and if I’m not it-”

“You are,” Liam promised. “You’re the only thing that I need.” Liam’s eyes sparkled in what moonlight was allowed in their little destination. His hand stroked Theo’s cheek again. “You’re all that I want. You’re…” Liam stopped and looked at Theo for a moment. Why was he even putting it off. He knew what needed to be done.

Liam kissed him.

Theo had never felt so close to the moon, so in sync with the tide. It made him feel so wild, so free. But so sworn to service to the moon’s pull. With each kiss, they got deeper, closer. And the closer the got, the moor gravity had a hold on them pulling them deeper and closer faster.

“Wait,” Liam said pulling away, leaving them catching for breath.

“What?”

“Um… I just-there’s something I’m kinda confused about,” Liam said, immediately making things a little awkward. But in a cute Liam kinda way that Theo adored. “So the other night, you said that you wanted to stay a virgin and well, that got me thinking-”

Theo stared at Liam’s face adoringly as the stuttered, trying to get out what he was trying to say.

“-that maybe you don’t want to have sex at all cause you’re not-not into-that cause you’re an asexual,” Liam kept stuttering. “Which is ok. It’s ok! We can make it work. I promise. I mean, unless you want to try-that’s cool. Whatever you’re comfortable with-”

“Liam.”

Liam sucked in a breath. “Yeah?”

“What’s an asexual?”

“Uh-well, it’s someone who doesn’t like sex-weeell, not necessarily. Depends on the person. Like i-it’s a spectrum so it depends on the person and how they feel with who-”

“Liam,” Theo said. “I want you to have all of me.”

Liam looked at him nervously. “You do?”

Theo nodded, a genuine smile on his lips. “Now I don’t know what spectrum it puts me on but I also want to have all of you.”

Liam smiled. “You do?”

Theo nodded. “Yeah.” Then he leaned on Liam a little, breathing a hot breath on him when their skin shifted causing a friction that was not unwelcome at all. Theo’s eyes closed and he bit his lip sensually. His shoulders rose as he breathed in Liam’s scent and then released. “Every inch.”

Liam’s smile dropped and his heart skipped a beat. “H-here? Right now?”

Theo bumped their noses together and let out a nervous breath of laughter. “It sure beats doing it in an elevator, don’t you think? Not many people get to lose their virginity under a waterfall.”

Liam felt the animal inside of him come alive at the confirmation that he was doing what he thought they were. “I love you.”

~~~

“Yaaaaaaaaawwwwn.” Malia leaned against Scott on the couch as sleep started to call her. The rest of the pack was starting to clean up from all the games they’d played all night. The rest of the pack seemed pretty tired too after the week they’d had. It was the last night before they all went home and they were starting to miss Beacon Hills.

“So where did Liam and Theo go?” Alec asked.

“Don’t know,” Nolan said, feeling significantly better now that he was hydrated. “But I heard Theo talking to himself in the mirror saying something about ‘I love you’ to Liam. So he’s probably saying ‘I love you’ to Liam.”

“Well, they’ve been gone for hours,” Lydia said checking the clock. “Maybe someone should go-”

“They said not to wait up for them,” Scott reminded his pack. “Which means they wanted some time alone with each other for a very good reason-”

“They’re totally having sex,” Stiles chimed in.

“Stiles, we talked about this. No accusing.”

“Twenty dollars they’re having sex right now,” Stiles challenged.

“Fifty,” Derek raised him.

“No deal,” Scott said.

“How are you going to figure out if they’re having sex right now?” Lydia asked. “Are you gonna walk in on them? Cause that’s just rude; it’s their first time. It’s Theo’s first time! And where are you going to find them anyways? We don’t know where they went.”

Lydia had a point. A very good point.

Stiles looked at Derek. “Can I still have fifty bucks?”

“You were never going to have it. That’s not how bets work, Stiles.”

~~~

Liam and Theo laid under the stars, listening to the sound of each other’s heartbeats. They were still fluttering from the intimacy they’d just shared. Everything had changed… but it was still the same because they’d always loved each other. They just weren’t holding back anymore.

Theo felt Liam’s fingers lace with his and shivers ran down his spine in pleasure. Just the simple touch had him reminded of what Liam was capable of. He rolled his side to face Liam, curling his toes when Liam responded and pulled him close. And then put at ease when Liam opened his eyes. God, Theo loved the color blue so much.

“Hey,” Liam said, using one of his calloused hands to brush back some of Theo’s hair. Theo smiled. “How you doing?”

Theo’s hand danced across Liam’s chest and up his shoulder, feeling Liam shamelessly. Liam was his now. The moon was his. Too much. It was all too much. So much more than he deserved. Far more than he felt capable of taking care of but he loved it so dearly. He would have to. “Overwhelmed,” Theo said and then kissed Liam’s lips. “But in the best way possible.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Theo said sitting up on the rock they’d just made love on, Liam following suit to keep close contact between their skin. “You know, I’ve chased after power more than once in my life and felt it’s overwhelming surge so many times but this…” Theo put an arm around Liam’s waist and pulled him close, bumping their noses together. “...how could I have missed this?”

Liam smiled at Theo thoughtfully, overwhelmed with him. “Love is pretty powerful, isn’t it?”

Theo nodded. “It’s so powerful,” he agreed. “I’ve never trusted somebody like that before and not been hurt.”

Liam squeezed Theo a little bit and smiled a little bigger before commenting, “Emotionally, speaking though.” That earned a look from Theo. “Cause we did it on a rock… I definitely have a few bruises.”

Liam chuckled and Theo pinched him. “I’ll give you a few more if you like them so much.”

“Aaah. Geez,” Liam said rubbing at the flab of skin Theo pinched and glaring at him. “You pinch hard.”

“And you do… other things hard,” Theo retorted.

“Well, I’m sorry,” Liam said. “We didn’t exactly have-”

“Let’s do it again,” Theo said eagerly grabbing onto Liam’s arms and swinging a leg over Liam’s lap. He pulled on Liam’s hair to crane the wolf’s neck to the side so he could sink his teeth, not entirely, into his skin where he sucked and nibbled for a minute before Liam kinda made him back off a little bit.

“Ok. I love this new found sexual confidence, Theo,” Liam said rubbing at Theo’s back. “But I think we need to slow down a little bit.”

Theo sighed and sat back in Liam’s lap. “But we just started.”

“I know. That’s why we should take it slow,” Liam said. “Just like you said, we’re both a little bit overwhelmed right now. Let’s wait until we get back home. Usually, people don’t sleep together before the first date.”

“Why doesn’t this count as our first date?” Theo asked, running his hand up and down Liam’s arms. “It was sure as hell romantic.”

Liam’s cheeks flushed red. “Usually, people ask you on a date. I kinda just took you.”

Theo pursed his lips and shook his head. “I don’t think our relationship is exactly eligible for… just your standard dating measures. We kinda already know everything about each other.”

“I guess you’re right…” Liam realized. “Now we’ve literally done everything couples do.”

“Well… that and a bunch of other things that most couples don’t do,” Theo pointed out. “Like pretend to be a couple to get our pack to be a family again. Which was a totally stupid plan by the way.”

“Then why did you go along?”

Theo sighed, knowing the answer would make Liam feel bad. “I wanted to know what it would feel like to be with you even if it was pretend.”

“Oh, baby,” Liam said pulling Theo in for a kiss on the lips. “Can I call you that?”

“Only if you want to keep turning me on,” Theo replied. “Which might not be the nicest thing you could do for me right now since you’re so insistent on waiting until we get home.”

“Maybe the cold water will help with that, baby,” Liam suggested. He could sense the sexual frustration coming from Theo and decided to make the decision for him. He shoved him in the water and got up and ran to put on his clothes before Theo came after him to get his revenge.

~~~

After sneaking into the house without being noticed, Theo climbed up to the top bunk ready to get some sleep but as soon as he was under the covers and ready to crash, he saw Liam’s face poking over the top of the ladder.

“Liam, what are you doing?”

“We’re a couple now,” Liam explained as he climbed up the ladder. “I don’t need an excuse to cuddle with you anymore.”

Theo rolled his eyes. “Like you even needed an excuse before.”

Once Liam was on the top rung, he grabbed onto Theo. “Don’t let me fall. We’re really high up.” When Theo snickered at that Liam smacked him. “I’m serious.”

“We’re like eight feet off the ground, little wolf.”

“I still don’t want to fall,” Liam said, slipping under the covers with Theo. He shamelessly tangled up their legs and put an arm around Theo’s waist. He snuggled up as close as he possibly could like the little puppy he was on the inside.

Theo smiled at him the whole time, waiting for him to get comfortable and setting down. And once Liam was finally still in Theo’s arms, he held onto him. “I won't let you fall, little wolf.” He stroke Liam’s back and bumped their noses. “I’ll never let anything bad happen to you.”

Liam knew it wasn’t something that was really possible but he also knew how much Theo meant by saying it. He loved him. He was going to protect him no matter what. That’s what pack did for each other.

But they were more than pack now…

“Hey…” Liam said carefully whispering.

“Hm?”

“So all those years ago when I told you I didn’t like you and then I pretended that nothing happened… I think I was just trying to protect myself,” Liam told Theo. “I didn’t like you because… because I love you and I just didn’t want to admit it cause… you’re my friend. And I can be petty sometimes.”

Theo sighed and brought a hand up to stroke it through Liam’s hair. He kissed him. “I know, Liam. The truth is… I don’t think we were ready for each other then. What happened happened for a reason and that’s ok because we’re here now and we are as ready as we’ll ever be.”

“I still feel bad about how I treated you though,” Liam said. The guilt was in his scent.

“You may have been a huge jerk to me that night but you’ve shown how much you really care about me over the last five years,” Theo assured him. “And tonight you really…” Theo bit his lip and grinned. “...really showed me how much you love me.”

“Theo,” Liam warned him only for the chimera to wrap himself around Liam and roll on top of him, nuzzling his nose into his neck. Liam accidentally let out a vocal giggle that Theo tried to shut up with a kiss on the mouth.

“Quiet,” Theo told him. Ironically, he said it aloud instead of whispering.

“Shshshshshsh.” Liam tried to shush him but he kept laughing, especially when Theo went for his neck again. “Theo!”

“Oh my god, could you be any louder?” Theo asked separating himself from Liam a little to send him a scowl. But the adorable look on Liam’s face only made him laugh too.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

“The walls are thin in this house, guys!” they heard the muffled voice of Stiles say. “I can hear every word you say!”

Theo and Liam held their breath trying so hard not to laugh. “Shshsh,” they hissed at each other through their silent laughing spout. Once they settled down enough, Theo lowered himself back on top of Liam and whispered. “Maybe if we’re really….”

“Really quiet,” Liam finished for him.

Theo closed the distance between them, locking their lips in a battle that… didn’t last.

“Every word!” Stiles shouted.

Theo sighed and pulled up form Liam. “You’re just jealous it’s not you getting some action tonight!”

Liam pulled Theo back on top of him. “He can’t hear us if we’re kissing,” he whispered.

“I can hear you kissing!”

“Not my problem,” Theo said, finally just deciding to kiss Liam instead of argue with Stiles. Arguing with Stiles was never fun. But it was pretty funny when Derek walked into their room to interrupt their make-out session and remind them that werewolves had sensitive ears and could literally hear them kissing. Guess they’d have to wait until they got home after all.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter is kinda short

“Alright!” Scott clapped his hands together to get the attention of the pack. “Once everything is packed up, we’re going down to the stables for one last trail ride as a pack-”

“Ugh,” Liam groaned. “Do I have to?”

“Well, if you didn’t then we wouldn’t be going as a pack now would we?” Lydia said.

Theo put an arm around Liam and squeezed his shoulder. “It’s OK, little wolf. You can ride with me.”

Liam looked at Theo and raised an eyebrow. “You mean, share a horse?”

“Hell, yes.”

“Isn’t that going to be uncomfortable?”

Theo shrugged. “Would you rather stay in the stables alone until we get back?”

Liam sighed. “I guess I’ll ride with Theo.”

Stiles snickered. “Wow. You’d think after last night you’d be happy to ride with Theo.” When Liam glared at him it only encouraged his mockery. “Oh. Theo! Oh my-mmmm.-” Malia elbowed Stiles in the chest to get him to shut up. “Ow.”

~~~

Liam stared at the big horse, heart rate getting a little faster the longer he put it off. One of the hands found an extra seat that could be attached to the back of the saddle so he could ride with Theo. But just to be sure having the weight of two people wouldn’t be too much on the horse, they saddled up the biggest horse in the stable.

“Come on, Liam,” Scott encouraged his beta, a hand on his shoulder. “Ol’ Bessy is the nicest horse here. Besides, you’ve got Theo to hold onto if you get nervous.”

Liam sighed and looked at Theo, sitting on that horse and smiling down at him. Theo reached a hand down to Liam. “Come on, Little Wolf. We don’t have all day.”

“I’ll give you a boost,” Scott said, urging Liam closer to the horse.

“Ok,” Liam sputtered grabbing Theo’s hand.

“Foot in the stirrup,” Scott reminded him.

“Foot in stirrup,” Liam repeated pulling a knee up to his chest so he could slip his foot in the stirrup.

“Leg up,” Scott said.

Liam whined. “I can’t.”

Scott sighed. “Fine.” He bent down and picked up Liam’s other leg making the man squeal like a girl as he struggled to secure himself in the saddle. Liam’s arms clung to Theo’s waist as he whimpered girlishly. Scott smiled and patted the horse on the butt. “Alright. Let’s get this show on the road.”

As the alpha got up in his saddle and lead the way, Theo turned to talk to Liam. “You ok, back there?”

“No.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I hate horses.”

Theo rolled his eyes. “Just hold on to the horn of the saddle,” Theo said prying Liam’s hands off from around his waist only for Liam to scramble for the nearest thing to grab… Theo bit back a moan. “Liam, that’s not the horn of the saddle.”

Liam retreated his arms back to where they were, suffocating Theo. “Sorry.”

“If we were alone, I would totally let you do that.”

“What? But the horse would still be here,” Liam hissed.

Theo groaned as he followed the rest of the pack. “Oh my god. What did a horse ever do to you?”

“...”

“I am curious,” Nolan said from further up front in the pack.

“Yeah,” Alec said patting his horse on the neck. “They’re so friendly. I don’t know how anyone could hate them.”

“Because!” Liam growled. Bessy sneezed and Liam startled. “Ah!”

“Because why?” Theo asked.

“I don’t want to tell you.”

“Oh,” Theo said. “So it’s embarrassing. Well, now we’re just going to keep asking about it.”

Liam sighed. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Corey, has Mason ever told you why Liam hates horses?” Theo asked the other chimera.

Corey shook his head and shrugged. “All I know is it happened when he was in fifth grade as some girl’s birthday party.”

Stiles turned his horse around so he could ride with Theo and hear this story. “So, Liam, what did happened with that horse in fifth grade, huh?”

“Theo, make him go away,” Liam whined.

“Sure. Cry to your boyfriend for help. I have no idea how you’re supposed to be the top, man. You’re such a girl!”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Theo warned Stiles. “Liam is definitely not a girl. I know better than anyone. He’s a scaredy cat. There’s a difference. Also, who's on top isn’t any of your business.”

“...are you on top?” Stiles asked Theo.

Theo smirked. “Only when I’m bottoming from the top,” he teased. But of course, he was bluffing. He’d only been with Liam once so they hadn’t really gotten to experiment with other dynamics.

Stiles stared at him in confusion. “I don’t get. I just… I don’t get it.”

“The Liam that I know, is different than the Liam that you guys see and the Theo that you guys see is different than the Theo that Liam knows,” Theo explained… sort of. If that was really an explanation. “Bottomline, our relationship has more dynamics than this pack alone.”

“That means you should be able to get Liam to tell us what happened with the horse in fifth grade,” Stiles concluded.

Theo sighed. Part of him wanted to be the perfect boyfriend and protect him. But the other part of him wanted to humiliate Liam so he could be the sweet cuddly boyfriend that comforted him in the end. “Liam, what happened with the horse?”

“...don’t laugh, please.”

“I won’t laugh,” Theo promised. “As long as it’s not funny.”

“Theo! I’m serious! Don’t laugh!” Liam pinched Theo aggressively.

“Ow!” Theo said, laughter already seeping out of him. “You’re already off to a bad start if you don’t want me to laugh.”

“I fell off, ok!” Liam said.

…

“Ok, Liam, I don’t know what you think was funny about that,” Stiles said.

“Because I fell in a pile of horse shit!” Liam cried, burying his face into Theo’s back. And when he felt Theo shaking he growled. “You said you wouldn’t laugh.”

Theo sputtered as the rest of the pack snickered at Liam’s expense. “I’m sorry. It’s just… that’s a really dumb reason to hate horses.”

“I had horse shit all over my face,” Liam said. “And I got made fun of the rest of the year!”

“Sounds to me like you should hate your fifth grade class, not horses,” Theo told him. And when he felt Liam’s misery, he turned sideways in the saddle to wrap an arm around Liam and give him a kiss on the head. Yep. Sweet, cuddly, and comforting boyfriend was a much better option.

But even as he hugged Liam, he laughed because he couldn’t stop picturing ten-year-old Liam fall off a horse and into a pile of shit.

Liam sighed. “Scott! Come on. Make them stop.”

Scott just looked at Liam and smiled as they kept riding along. “Oh oh. What’s that look on your face about?” Theo teased the alpha. “He’s up to something.”

“I’m just happy that my plan worked.”

“Right,” Theo said. “Cause your plan to have Liam and I fake a relationship was what made the pack get their shit together.”

Scott shrugged. “My plan worked. It got the pack to be a family again and it got you two idiots together in the end.”

“Wait…” Liam said. “You planned on us getting together?”

The alpha didn’t say anything. Of course, Scott knew there was something between them. He was the alpha. He knew everything. And he was sick of them dancing around each other.

“Hey, guys. You know what doing this reminds me of?” Stiles said and the rest of the pack groaned, sans Theo and Liam because they hadn’t been there the first time Stile shad done it. “I’m gonna take my horse to the old town road-”

“Ugh!” Liam whined.

Theo sighed. “You totally just ruined that song.”

The pack was a family again. They still had issues but they were on their way to a better future now. They were on that path together and they weren’t going to ride that path until they couldn’t anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK. So this is going to be my last fic on this account. I know it's kinda sudden but I've been thinking about orphaning this account for a long, long time. It's been something on my heart for a while and I think I'm finally ready to do it. I need to focus on other things like my mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health. Not to mention, family and friends.
> 
> I hope that you find something in all of my stories to inspire you to be a better, healthier person. Something I learned recently was that you can't really love others without learning to love yourself and that means by taking care of yourself and thinking about how everything you do affects your future. I came to make this decision on my own, that I need to leave behind this part of my life and try to live up to my true potential. I've been writing a lot, a lot recently because I haven't had to worry about school or work but I could've spent so much time with my family instead of letting writing consume my mind. I'm grateful that this has helped me see how creative I can be and has helped me gain skills in writing but it's time for me to move on to greater things.
> 
> I hope that by doing this, I can inspire those of you who might be holding back on yourself, to stop and think about how you can take care of yourself. How can you love yourself and do something for yourself that will benefit you forever? It might not make sense to you why leaving behind writing fanfiction would be beneficial to my future but that's OK. You don't have to understand.
> 
> Just think about what your life is focused on. Is it something you're proud of, something that will benefit your future, or is it something that just satisfies you temporarily. 
> 
> Thank you, everyone, for all your support while I've written fics on Ao3. You have inspired me to write so much. I just hope that I was able to give back to you just as much inspiration or more through my writing.
> 
> ~LOVE ROBIN
> 
> (I will be working for the next few days to sort through my works and delete what I need to before I orphan this account)


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